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“Unfortunately, while actually the people have done an incredible job of rebuilding this community, they have not had a federal government that’s truly been on their side,” Vance said during his visit.
FEMA’s mismanagement under the Biden administration left storm victims without the resources they needed to recover. Vance didn’t hold back in pointing out the agency’s failures, calling it “a perfect example of the bureaucratic inadequacy of the last administration and why we need to do better in this country.”
One of the most outrageous examples of FEMA’s failures was its refusal to allow temporary housing in certain disaster-stricken areas, leaving families with nowhere to go. “The thing that I heard most when I was in western North Carolina before the inauguration, but it was after the election, is that there are people who wanted to put trailers or other temporary housing in particular areas of North Carolina,” Vance explained. “But they couldn’t because FEMA had designated these areas to be ineligible for the type of assistance that would allow temporary housing in the first place.”
The numbers tell the full story of FEMA’s dysfunction. Despite Congress approving $4 billion in disaster relief, only $47 million has actually been distributed due to bureaucratic red tape. Homeowners in Virginia were offered a mere $42,000 to rebuild their homes—nowhere near enough to cover the more than $100,000 in damages many of them faced. And to make matters worse, many residents in Virginia, North Carolina, and Tennessee didn’t even have flood insurance, leaving them with virtually no safety net.
FEMA’s sluggish response in places like western North Carolina forced private citizens and charities to step in where the federal government failed. And instead of prioritizing real disaster relief, the agency under the Biden administration focused on “equity” as one of its primary goals—while Americans continued to suffer.
President Donald Trump has had enough. He signed an executive order launching a full-scale review of FEMA, with the goal of reforming the agency from the ground up. Vance made it clear that under the new administration, things would be different.
KICK OUT The Cold and Say Hello to The Handyheater! Warming Any Spot INSTANTLY!
“We’re putting people over bureaucrats,” Vance said. “Bureaucracy has for too long stood in the way of people’s business. That’s gonna stop and we’re gonna fight to make sure it stops every single day.”
One of Trump’s proposed solutions is to shift more disaster response responsibilities to the states, ensuring local officials take the lead before the federal government steps in. This strategy aims to cut down on bureaucratic delays and get aid to victims faster.
While Washington has no problem finding billions of dollars to send overseas, struggling Americans are left to fend for themselves. It’s a disgrace that FEMA—an agency tasked with helping citizens in their greatest time of need—continues to fail at its most basic duties.
J.D. Vance isn’t letting this go. He’s shining a light on FEMA’s failures and demanding real change. If the government can’t take care of its own people, what good is it? The time for reform is now.
