We are strongest when Americans work together

October 30, 2012

The New York Times editorializes, "Disaster coordination is one of the most vital functions of 'big government,' which is why Mitt Romney wants to eliminate it. At a Republican primary debate last year, Mr. Romney was asked whether emergency management was a function that should be returned to the states. He not only agreed, he went further... He said it was 'immoral' for the federal government to do all these things if it means increasing the debt. It's an absurd notion, but it's fully in line with decades of Republican resistance to federal emergency planning."

Progressive Point: When a natural disaster like Hurricane Sandy strikes, Americans pull together. The aftermath of this storm shows why the federal government's safety net and emergency response is so important. Mitt Romney and Paul Ryan would cut funding for vital agencies like FEMA and limit federal government's ability to respond.

We're Americans, and we don't turn our backs on neighbors when they're in need or tell communities "you're on your own" when folks have lost houses and livelihoods. Romney and Ryan's plan to defund FEMA would mean Americans would have to rely on businesses trying to make a buck off of their misfortune or cash-strapped states without the proper resources. National disaster coordination is a vital role of our federal government and shows we are strongest when Americans work together.

Get the Facts:

• During the Republican primary debate last year, Mitt Romney called federal disaster relief spending "immoral" and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) should be privatized. (ThinkProgress, June 14, 2012)


• "Over the last two years, Congressional Republicans have forced a 43 percent reduction in the primary FEMA grants that pay for disaster preparedness. Representatives Paul Ryan, Eric Cantor and other House Republicans have repeatedly tried to refuse FEMA's budget requests when disasters are more expensive than predicted, or have demanded that other valuable programs be cut to pay for them. The Ryan budget, which Mr. Romney praised as 'an excellent piece of work,' would result in severe cutbacks to the agency, as would the Republican-instigated sequester, which would cut disaster relief by 8.2 percent on top of earlier reductions." (New York Times, October 29, 2012)

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