"FEMA Seeks To Slash Disaster Aid As Trump Heads For Exit"

"The Federal Emergency Management Agency is proposing to slash disaster aid to states by making it substantially harder for them to qualify for assistance after extreme weather events like floods, wildfires or storms.

A FEMA proposal published today would be one of the most significant revisions of federal disaster policy in nearly a half-century and comes as states grapple with massive fiscal shortfalls due to the pandemic.

The plan would hit affluent states particularly hard because FEMA would for the first time consider each state's wealth in deciding whether to approve a governor's request for disaster aid.

Wealthy states such as Connecticut, Massachusetts and New York would have to show much higher levels of damage than less affluent states such as Alabama, Mississippi and West Virginia to receive aid."

Thomas Frank reports for E&E News December 14, 2020.

Source: E&E News, 12/15/2020