[Congressional Record Volume 171, Number 86 (Wednesday, May 21, 2025)]
[House]
[Page H2203]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                         EMERGENCY PREPAREDNESS

  (Mr. Kennedy of New York was recognized to address the House for 5 
minutes.)
  Mr. KENNEDY of New York. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to sound the alarm 
on President Trump's reckless efforts to kneecap the agencies 
responsible for our Nation's emergency preparedness.
  In recent weeks, deadly tornadoes have torn through Kentucky and 
Missouri, leaving behind devastation, heartbreak, and lives lost. My 
prayers continue to be with the families mourning the unimaginable and 
with the first responders who selflessly ran toward danger to save 
others.
  The Federal Government should be offering more than thoughts and 
prayers to the families facing immense calamity. Instead, the Trump 
administration is dismantling the very systems designed to protect the 
American people when disaster strikes.
  At the height of tornado season and with hurricane season fast 
approaching, President Trump has made the unconscionable decision to 
weaken emergency preparedness at the Federal level.
  This administration has slashed employment levels for the National 
Weather Service, firing researchers and forecasters who track and 
monitor natural disasters. At FEMA, they have gutted the workforce, 
canceled critical mitigation and preparedness grant programs, and 
initiated reckless plans to undermine critical emergency 
infrastructure.

  President Trump even fired his own personnel in charge of FEMA for 
admitting that it is not in the best interests of the American people 
to eliminate the agency. These cuts threaten lives.
  Natural disasters impact all Americans and are not bound by the 
political whims of Washington. Whether it is a tornado in the Midwest, 
a hurricane battering the Southeast, or a blizzard sweeping across 
western New York, preparedness saves lives.
  Every early warning, every rapid deployment, and every ounce of 
emergency management coordination is the result of decades of 
investment in the public interest and science. Under this 
administration, diligence has been replaced with disregard.
  The hard-earned trust between government and community is being 
shredded by this administration. As ranking member of the Emergency 
Management and Technology Subcommittee, I have heard firsthand from 
experts who are ringing the alarm. These public servants are asking for 
the basics: Adequate staffing, stable funding, modernized tools, and 
the freedom to do their jobs without political interference.
  It is a disgrace that the President is undermining the very 
professions they have dedicated their entire lives to. This is not a 
partisan issue. This is an American issue.
  If the Republican majority in Congress allow this administration to 
dismantle the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, defund 
the National Weather Service, and hollow out FEMA, then they are 
failing every family that depends on those agencies to survive the next 
natural disaster.
  The people sent us here to protect them and to ensure their security 
and safety. That means investing in the systems that stand between them 
and disaster. We must not sit idly by while this administration gambles 
with American lives.
  Americans deserve better, and I know I and the Democratic Caucus will 
continue to fight every single day to make sure that they get it.

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