This year, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is predicting a deadly hurricane season, which just started this past Thursday. Unfortunately, neither the NOAA or FEMA currently have anyone in charge. Both agencies have been rudderless since their Obama appointees were asked to leave in January. According to the general who took over Joint Task Force Katrina, this “should scare the hell out of everybody.”
To make matters worse, Trump has proposed massive budget cuts for both agencies.
Now, you would think that for all the disasters of this presidency, Trump would try to at least avoid Bush’s Katrina fiasco. You’d be wrong. There are only two reasons for him to do this:
1) Trump is not doing this on purpose (astronomical incompetence), or
2) Trump is doing this on purpose
Unfortunately, I think it’s a combination of the two. People here in Florida KNOW exactly what FEMA and NOAA does. However, if Trump is getting advice from Alex Jones—as is being reported—then he thinks FEMA’s job is just to run the dissident camps when the Deep State takes everyone’s guns away and NOAA’s purpose is to “intensify global warming” by outfitting planes with chemtrails. (No? How else to do you explain the exhaust from airplanes?)
Meanwhile, in reality, NOAA is important to us because they are the ones responsible for tracking hurricanes and providing critical warnings before they arrive. Trump hasn’t even bothered to nominate someone to run the agency.
FEMA, on the other hand, is tasked with coordinating the response to a disaster when local and state officials are overwhelmed. Obama showed it could do really good work when he picked a person to run it who was qualified—as opposed to a horse judge. Trump is one-upping Bush by not having anyone. This isn’t going to change anytime soon.
Of course, it could be that Trump isn’t doing this on purpose at all and that he is just colossally incompetent. After all, at this point in their respective presidencies, Obama and Bush had their cabinets completely filled. Trump hasn’t even announced a nominee for 470 of 556 key positions, a new record.
On the bright side, it could be a lot worse: Trump could actually get around to nominating someone. Don’t get me wrong, both agencies are in desperate need of good leadership, but that’s one thing you are guaranteed not to get. Even assuming the best—that Trump just needs to quit being distracted long enough to find people—the pickings will be slim given that no one of any quality wants to work in this White House.
Shockingly, given the parade of white nationalists, corrupt politicians, and incompetent family members he’s picked so far, the agencies might actually be better off adrift.
