New GAO Report Confirms that Trump’s Cuts Are Weakening Our Ability to Respond to Major Disasters
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Washington, D.C. — The U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) released a federal disaster response report this week, which found that recent FEMA cuts could “exacerbate existing challenges and impact the federal government’s readiness to respond to future disasters.” Trump’s federal cuts have caused staffing shortages and gaps in critical emergency management expertise – weakening our disaster preparedness and response capabilities. The report was released one week after more than 180 experts warned that Trump’s reckless cuts and poor leadership are risking the next Katrina-level disaster.
Climate Power Senior Advisor for Climate Urgency Sarah Galvez issued the following statement: “This report confirms what experts have been saying for months: Donald Trump’s reckless cuts are putting Americans in danger. Peak hurricane season is right around the corner, and thanks to Trump, we are not ready for it. As major storms become more frequent and destructive, communities devastated by extreme weather will be left to pay the price for Trump’s ‘slash and burn’ approach to disaster response.”
Key findings from the GAO report on how federal cuts are weakening our disaster preparedness:
- With above-normal hurricane and wildfire seasons expected this year, cuts to federal agencies, including the loss of experienced emergency managers, may exacerbate existing challenges and impact the federal government’s readiness to respond to future disasters.
- FEMA has lost nearly 10 percent of its staff, including experienced emergency managers with critical expertise and skills. Senior executives, who have the most experience managing complicated disasters, were staffed at only half their authorized level in mid-June.
- Cuts to other federal agencies are also impacting disaster response, because those agencies provide surge capacity volunteers to FEMA during major disasters. Currently, FEMA only has the capacity to deploy 600 volunteers if there is a major hurricane, compared to the almost 1,300 volunteers that were deployed to Hurricanes Helene and Milton in 2024.