President Donald Trump’s officials at the Federal Emergency Management Agency cracked mean jokes Wednesday about a deadly blizzard to which they were refused to commit resources.
The comment appeared in a new Politico report on White House officials who overrode FEMA experts and refused to approve disaster relief for states that voted against Trump in the presidential election.
The blizzard in question took place earlier this year, causing deaths and affecting New York, New Jersey, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. Email chains reviewed by Politico confirm that agency officials had already determined New York met the criteria for disaster relief.
According to the report, “snow assistance was targeted for elimination last year in a memo by FEMA leadership as a way to reduce spending. Congress pushed back on that idea — a signal the administration may have disregarded.”
Since 1999, 82 percent of snow assistance from FEMA has gone to states controlled by the Democratic Party — a disparity caused by the fact that Democrats tend to be stronger in northern states with colder climates.
When an agency spokesperson was confronted about the denials by Politico, they responded with a disparaging joke.
“If the federal government is paying for regular operations like snow removal, what next? Garbage removal?” said the spokesperson. “The federal government’s role is not to fund routine functions.”
Under the Trump administration, FEMA has been involved in other controversies as well, including reports that their resources are being diverted to “pre-crime” enforcement against terrorism, and a senior official who was ousted after claiming God teleported him to a Waffle House.
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