From disaster-torn North Carolina, Trump told reporters he would condition aid to California and that he might get rid of FEMA
January 24, 2025
Trump visited Fletcher, North Carolina, an area that was devastated by Hurricane Helene in September, and told reporters that he may completely eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). “I’ll also be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA, or maybe getting rid of FEMA. I think, frankly, FEMA is not good,” Trump said on Friday, January 24.
FEMA is the federal agency tasked with coordinating disaster response. Last year, FEMA ran out of funds to aid hurricane survivors. This is in part thanks to the efforts of conservative lawmakers, who passed a funding bill that excluded disaster aid before the devastation of hurricanes Milton and Helene.
His visit to North Carolina took place hours before he was set to visit Los Angeles, California, which has been devastated by strong wildfires in the last two weeks. In his address to reporters in North Carolina he announced that he will be conditioning federal aid to California depending on whether the state implements more restrictions on voting. His specific demand is regarding “voter ID” laws which requires voters to show proof of citizenship at the polls. Trump also has demanded that “the water” “be released,” referring to California’s management of its water supply.
“In California, I have a condition: in California, we want them to have voter ID so the people have a voice because right now, the people don’t have a voice because you don’t know who’s voting, and it’s very corrupt,” Trump said during a visit to North Carolina, which was devastated by hurricanes last year.
The ANSWER Coalition, which has helped coordinate grassroots disaster relief efforts for both the LA fires and hurricane survivors in the southeastern part of the US, claimed that Trump was employing a “cynical attempt to take political advantage of recent disasters.”
“The real problem is that disaster relief is outrageously underfunded, and political elites from the federal to the local level consistently put the needs of profit over people,” the organization claims.
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