CT Declares Blizzard Emergency as Trump Cuts FEMA Disaster Workers

At a glance:

• Trump administration skirting post-Katrina law designed to protect FEMA resources as Northeast faces historic blizzard

• FEMA eliminated 1,000 disaster worker jobs last month with plans to cut 11,500+ more positions

• Trump “skyrocketed” ICE funding to $85 billion while gutting emergency response, shifting the burden to states

While Connecticut and other northeast states responded to historic blizzard conditions with emergency declarations, the Trump administration has been skirting a Hurricane Katrina-era law that protects Federal Emergency Management Agency resources, the New York Times reported.

Gov. Ned Lamont was one of several northeast governors to declare a state of emergency this week as an enormous winter storm brought high winds and heavy snow to the region, causing power outages and impeding travel.

“We’re no stranger to snow in Connecticut, but I’m urging everyone to take this storm and the blizzard conditions it will bring seriously,” Lamont said Sunday.

But while the region braces for emergency conditions, the Times has reported that Republican President Donald Trump’s administration has been taking steps that may leave FEMA less prepared to respond to emergencies.

That’s because the Department of Homeland Security has been “violating the spirit” of federal law passed in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina and intended to safeguard resources for emergency response, according to the Times.

For instance, last month, FEMA moved to eliminate the jobs of roughly 1,000 disaster workers while a document obtained by the Times detailed plans to cut the agency’s workforce by more than 11,500 people.

Meanwhile, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has restricted the travel of FEMA staff to disaster areas, the Times reported.

Republican efforts to scale back disaster relief come as the Trump regime has “skyrocketed” funding for Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), which received less than $6 billion annually a decade ago, but now receives $85 billion under Trump, according to NPR.

The change in DHS priorities aligns with Trump’s desire to leave states to fend for themselves in emergency situations, according to the Times, which interviewed Sarah Labowitz, a senior fellow who tracks disaster spending for the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

“They’re making good on their promise to shift the burden onto states without giving the states any runway to prepare for that,” Labowitz told the Times.

By Hugh McQuaid