FEMA and Other Critical Agencies Are on the Verge of Collapse | Opinion

Hurricanes Helene and Milton are expected to join the grim ranks of Katrina and Sandy as $30 billion-plus tragedies. However, in addition to the damage left in their paths of destruction were the viral conspiracies that infected airwaves and social media feeds in the aftermath.
Donald Trump, JD Vance, Elon Musk, and Marjorie Taylor Greene’s baseless allegations that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is channeling funds to illegal migrants or even controlling the weather are deeply insulting—and, as we’ve seen, dangerous—to first responders like me.
However, while it would be easy to dismiss Trump’s demented accusations as simple propaganda, there’s a troubling grain of truth: American agencies like FEMA are, in fact, broke—not because they’ve been diverting funds to “ferry illegals,” but because they have been critically underfunded for decades.
Years of offering stopgap funding instead of securing long-term financial stability for once-revered federal programs have left critical agencies powerless to tackle what is now an out-of-control climate emergency. Only last week it was revealed the federal disaster Small Business Administration (SBA) loan program has received 50,000 applications since the twin disasters—but the money has run dry.
The SBA and FEMA are not alone. Systemic underfunding of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has left health care providers struggling to tackle the nation’s health challenges.The Environmental Protection Agency’s $630 billion shortfall in clean water infrastructure and the National Park Service’s $22 billion maintenance backlog lay bare the brutal impact of funding cuts, leaving vital services teetering and choking America’s ability to prevent or respond to tragedy.
If Trump wins the election, this crisis will only get worse. The cuts proposed by Project 2025 would finish off the essential agencies that protect us from deadly disasters. If Trump and his far-right fanatics win the White House, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s climate research will be snuffed out, the National Weather Service will be commercialized, and FEMA’s federal flood insurance program will be terminated.
Meanwhile, American citizens will be faced with deteriorating climate conditions and dangerously polluted solutions.
The answer isn’t to discard underfunded agencies or use them as political leverage. Instead, we need to recognize that the growing wave of natural disasters calls for a radical new strategy.
This means closing tax loopholes and setting clear, non-negotiable targets for boosting disaster relief funding. Alongside tough financial penalties for corporations contributing to environmental destruction, we must also foster public-private partnerships, modernize technology, and focus on prevention strategies that can boost efficiency and cut long-term costs.
One potential solution could be taking a page from the Department of Defense’s playbook. With its enormous $841 billion budget, the DoD ensures America is ready to tackle national security threats. As climate disasters become more frequent and severe, it’s clear their risks to our safety are just as critical.
That’s why America needs a GDP percentage commitment for environmental and emergency response agencies—similar to the 2 percent NATO countries must contribute for collective defense.
To truly secure the necessary funding and prepare for future crises, the U.S. should also pursue global partnerships to sustainably inject capital. Both our allies and enemies are already doing this.
Europe’s largest economy has just seen a pillar of industry receive billions in investment from the Abu Dhabi National Oil Company, helping to arrest Europe’s industrial decline and a €800 billion funding gap. China’s partnerships with several Southeast Asian nations to build renewable energy infrastructure have led it to dominate the clean tech sector.
Such partnerships aren’t just essential for resilience—they’re key to staying competitive on the global stage. That’s why the U.S. should aggressively seek investment from the Gulf, Southeast Asia, and beyond to ensure finances are available before the next disaster.
FEMA, once the gold standard of disaster relief, has now become the poster child for a national crisis. Government agencies we rely on for survival are collapsing under a crippling funding shortfall, with billions drained from the safety net meant for the American people.
We don’t have time for Trump’s conspiracy-theory distractions. Hurricane Milton is just the latest in an unrelenting surge of extreme weather, and worse is surely on the way. This isn’t about politics—it’s about safeguarding our future, and strengthening our industries before it’s too late.
Dr. Nathalie Beasnael is a FEMA-certified health worker and the founder of Health4Peace, which provides essential medical supplies to hospitals in Chad, Senegal, Ghana, and South Africa. She is the Diplomatic Envoy for the Republic of Chad to the USA and was a delegate at the United Nations annual climate summit Cop 28, where she moderated a panel discussion on how climate change is impacting human health.
The views expressed in this article are the writer’s own.