Staff Reports
The Biden-Harris administration’s approach to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) looks less like a disaster-response agency and more like a diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) seminar in its latest transformation. Following an executive order on “Advancing Racial Equity,” FEMA seems to have adopted a curious new motto: “Why prepare for disasters when you can prioritize marginalized identities?” This new strategy appears to deter emergency readiness in favor of a bureaucratic far-left agenda that could leave Americans vulnerable in times of crises.
A recent 144-page guide from FEMA reveals that decision-makers are prioritizing certain demographic groups for federal assistance based on race, gender identity, and sexuality. Terms like “People of color,” “Tribal Nations,” and “The LGBTQ+ community” have taken precedence over the traditional ideals of preparedness. For FEMA, natural disasters apparently strike differently depending on the pigment of one’s skin or their preferred pronouns. This reshuffling of priorities doesn’t just raise eyebrows; it challenges fundamental fairness by suggesting that natural disasters have a biased impact on some groups over others.
How FEMA Has Turned Into a DEI Disaster Under the Biden-Harris Adminhttps://t.co/FamkhJU5cw
— Mia Cathell (@MiaCathell) October 9, 2024
As Hurricane Helene makes its impact felt, and Hurricane Milton looms, residents across the southern United States are left to wonder whether FEMA’s shift toward “equity” is doing anything at all to prepare them for real threats. The agency has apparently demoted emergency readiness to the bottom of its list of concerns. Instead, the current priorities include pushing a climate resilience agenda while “instilling equity as a foundation of emergency management” sits proudly at the top. With such an approach, one must ask: what’s next, a hurricane response IV featuring virtue signaling instead of boats and supplies?
To bolster its outreach to selected groups, FEMA has even set up hiring initiatives targeting “underrepresented” individuals from Historically Black Colleges and Tribal Colleges. Apparently, competency and experience are old-fashioned concepts. The focus now lies firmly on ensuring that the agency’s workforce reflects America’s demographic quilt rather than its expertise in disaster management. Want a job in emergency management? Better check your gender identity first, as qualifications are clearly on the back burner.
Past FEMA practices reveal an unsettling trend that firmly places social ideology before critical disaster relief. The agency previously dedicated time and resources to DEI training even while real disasters unfolded, such as when over a thousand Hawaiians were reported missing after devastating wildfires. While FEMA facilitated training on “white supremacy” and cultural competency, the urgent needs of disaster victims were left unattended. As urgent pleas for help echoed from disaster zones, FEMA focused instead on theoretical lectures about systemic racism in America.
Instead of concentrating on assisting those impacted by natural calamities, FEMA has apparently pivoted to becoming a soft-on-crime advocate for illegal immigrant populations while deflecting resources away from its original mission. The excessive cash spent under the Shelter and Services Program – a staggering $1 billion – has strained the agency, already battling to keep up with its disaster response duties. With American families caught in the whirlwind of both hurricanes and bureaucratic negligence, it’s fair to question how FEMA’s priorities were rearranged to leave the very people they are meant to serve in the lurch.
