Tell Congress: Don't Let Trump Abandon Hurricane Victims

Hurricane Isaias just bore down on the northern Gulf Coast, bringing dangerous wind, storm surge, and flooding rain. And whatever Isaias leaves behind, families are asking the same question: who is coming to help?

FEMA says it has teams and supplies in place. Those workers deserve every resource they can get. But Donald Trump has done serious damage to the agency they work for. 

FEMA lost more than 4,300 employees in a single year, about 17 percent of its workforce, according to the Government Accountability Office. The watchdog also found FEMA made staffing decisions without checking whether it would have enough people left to respond, and says Congress needs to step in.

Only Congress can repair this damage fast, and every day it waits leaves the next storm's victims more exposed. Tell Congress: Rebuild FEMA's disaster workforce and stop further cuts now.

For families on the Gulf Coast, a storm like this can mean flooded homes, days without power, and a long road to rebuild. Seniors who depend on electricity. Small business owners watching a lifetime of work wash away. None of them can afford an agency stretched too thin to reach them.

Most major disaster declarations this year took about a month to approve, roughly three times longer than usual. Texas Hill Country flood survivors say they are still waiting for FEMA assistance. The administration has said it wants to eliminate or drastically downsize FEMA. And a federal judge recently ruled its plan to cut the agency's staff in half was unlawful.

No president controls the weather. But a president can weaken the agency built to answer it, and Congress holds the power to rebuild it. 

The House and Senate Appropriations Committees write FEMA's budget, and Gulf Coast lawmakers have every reason to lead. Congress must pass legislation to rehire the people FEMA has lost, block further cuts, and require the agency to prove it is ready before every hurricane season. It must do it now, not after the next storm.

Add your name now. Demand that Congress rebuild FEMA before the next hurricane hits. Disaster victims should never have to wonder whether Washington will show up.

The petition to Congress reads:

“Repair the damage Trump has done to FEMA: block further staffing cuts, rehire its lost disaster workforce, and require proof it is ready for the next hurricane.”