FEMA—Too Big to Succeed

As people in New York were suffering and hospitals were being evacuated, the New York Times editorial page seized the occasion to score political points: “Disaster coordination is one of the most vital functions of ‘big government,’ which is why Mitt Romney wants to eliminate it.” This was dishonest partisan spin. In a GOP primary debate last year, Romney had been asked by CNN’s John King about the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and whether the “states should take on more of this role.” Romney replied, “Every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states—that’s the right direction.”

newscom

The idea that anyone on the political spectrum this side of a doctrinaire libertarian believes the federal government has no role in coordinating disaster relief is a fantasy of the Times. Conservatives believe in a strong but limited central government, not no federal government. If there’s anything that would pass a conservative litmus test for the legitimate exercise of federal power, coordinating the response to a super-storm that wreaks havoc across the Eastern seaboard has to be near the top of the list.
As for the contention that some of FEMA’s responsibilities should be returned to the states, anyone who believes this to be a radical notion knows nothing about the history of FEMA. Created in 1979, FEMA was originally intended to help citizens in the event of a nuclear attack. In 1988, the Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act clarified that federal emergency declarations—and the FEMA money accompanying such requests—should be based on a finding that events are “of such severity and magnitude that effective response is beyond the capabilities of the state and affected local governments.” Since then, Congress has never given specific guidance for what qualifies as a federal emergency.

Read more: http://www.weeklystandard.com/articles/fema-too-big-succeed_660186.html