From MSNBC: This year’s hurricane season brings fear of storms and Trump’s plans for FEMA. The idea that state and local governments can step up and do what FEMA does is not only unrealistic, it’s reckless.

I represent a state that knows devastation. In 2021, nearly 500,000 Louisiana households were approved for assistance in the 30 days after Hurricane Ida. But we are not alone. FEMA responded to more than 100 declared disasters in 2024, including back-to-back hurricanes Helene and Milton that battered Florida and Georgia. In North Carolina, communities are still recovering from Helene’s catastrophic flooding.

Disaster recovery is incredibly difficult even with federal coordination and resources. Without it, we are setting communities up for failure. These actions have consequences — and they will cost lives.

The idea that state and local governments — many of which are already underfunded and understaffed — can assume the full logistical and financial burden carried by FEMA is not only unrealistic, it’s reckless.

We need to invest in FEMA. Strengthen NOAA. Restore staffing and leadership at the National Weather Service. Give state and local governments the tools they need, but do not make them do it alone.

Because when the next disaster hits — and it will — we won’t have time to debate funding formulas or organizational charts. We will need help. Fast. Fair. And federal.

That’s the America our people deserve. And that’s the FEMA we must defend.