First it was Helene. Then came Milton. The hurricanes that have affected our country and our citizens have been devastating and front-of-mind for a lot of people recently. I can't begin to fathom what these people are going through, and I readily admit that I know very little about the rebuilding process. I've been trying to do some high-level research to educate myself on the agencies at play, as well as what Project 2025 lays out as the future plan for the next conservative president in regards to these agencies.
There's a lot of ground to cover here, and I won't be able to work through it all in the short term. So I'll do what I can and provide additional resources for further education and discussion.
The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)
Who They Are:
The "NOAA is an agency that enriches life through science. [Their] reach goes from the surface of the sun to the depths of the ocean floor as [they] work to keep the public informed of the changing environment around them." Most of us are at least somewhat familiar with NOAA's products and services - "from daily weather forecasts, severe storm warnings, and climate monitoring to fisheries management, coastal restoration and supporting Marine commerce.
(Source: https://www.noaa.gov/about-our-agency)
What Project 2025 Proposes:
The NOAA that currently consists of six main offices should be "broken up and downsized". The author of this chapter on the Department of Commerce, Thomas F. Gilman, further states that the NOAA is currently "a colossal operation that has become one of the main drivers of the climate change alarm industry and, as such, is harmful to future U.S. prosperity. This industry's mission emphasis on prediction and management seems designed around the fatal conceit of planning for the unplannable." Gilman proposes that the current services provided by the NOAA "could be provided commercially, likely at lower cost and high quality".
(Source: Project 2025, page 674-75)
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
Who They Are:
FEMA's mission is to help people "before, during and after disasters". Before disasters, they seek to raise risk awareness, educate in risk reduction options, and help take preventative actions. During disaster, they alert, warn, and message, as well as coordinate the Federal response including managing resources. After disasters, they coordinate Federal recovery measures, provide resources, and apply their knowledge and insight to future risk. These core values are outlined in their capstone doctrine, "We Are FEMA" or "Publication One (Pub 1)" which helps them define their role and give them direction.
(Source: links provided within paragraph)
What Project 2025 Proposes:
FEMA reform "requires a greater emphasis on federalism and state and local preparedness", and emergency spending should shift the majority of preparedness and response costs to states and localities instead of the Federal government. Due to the rise of inflation, FEMA should also raise the per capita threshold which is the "key indicator for disaster declaration" or as an alternate they could apply a deductible to "accomplish a similar outcome while also incentivizing states to take a more proactive role in their own preparedness and response capabilities." Also, FEMA's National Flood Insurance Program should be "wound down" and replaced with private insurance starting with the least risky areas currently identified by the program".
(Source: Project 2025, pages 135, 153-54)
My Take-Away
It's my understanding that what's being proposed is a breaking down of federal agencies meant to educate, empower, and assist our citizens at all stages (or potential stages) of a large-scale disaster. In their place, Project 2025 proposes moving to an all-too-familiar and (in my opinion, not at all user-friendly) private insurance system. The Federal government would no longer be in the "business" of natural sciences, climate research, weather forecasting, disaster restoration efforts, or messaging and education in disaster risk prevention. Instead, states and localities would be responsible for all of these "services" on their own, looking to private organizations to fill in the gaps left behind should the next conservative president choose to enact this Project 2025 policy proposal.
Additional Sources and Further Reading:
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