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AGENCY TESTIMONY
Concerns about federal budget cuts and their impact on emergency management
2:25:45
ยท
126 sec
Commissioner Iscol expresses serious concerns about the impacts of federal budget cuts on emergency management capabilities at the local, state, and federal levels.
- Federal agencies provide unique expertise and capabilities that support local preparedness, response, and recovery
- Cuts to federal spending and workforce, especially at FEMA, could significantly impact emergency management
- Local jurisdictions may need to prepare for emergencies without the historic structure of state and federal support
- Recent experiences, such as managing the asylum seeker crisis, highlight the need for more local capacity
Zachary Iscol
2:25:45
I also want to take a minute to address another issue of pressing concern.
2:25:49
The impacts of cuts to federal spending and the federal workforce, especially at FEMA and other federal agencies we depend upon, should not be underestimated.
2:25:59
Across the country, Emergency Management one hundred and one is that the local jurisdiction, whether a small town or county, a large city like New York or a state, is in charge of managing an incident.
2:26:10
But once that emergency exceeds their capabilities, they are able to turn to the state and then the federal government for support.
2:26:18
Federal agencies provide unique expertise and capabilities that support local preparedness, response, recovery, surveillance, and mitigations.
2:26:26
Agencies like the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, NOAA, are an irreplaceable partner for weather forecasting.
2:26:33
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, which conducts national disease surveillance, and the Federal Communication Commission, which supports wireless emergency alerts, just to name a few.
2:26:43
We will need to ensure that we properly prepare for and manage the consequences of emergencies in the absence of the fully capable federal agencies that have supported emergency management efforts over the past several decades.
2:26:56
Historically, when an incident occurs that exceeds local or state resources, the federal government will involve all necessary department and agency capabilities and organize the federal response coordinated by FEMA.
2:27:09
While all emergencies start and end at the local level, federal agencies play a dominant role in several disaster scenarios, including civil defense, nuclear accidents, extreme weather, disease outbreaks, bioterrorism, and counterterrorism.
2:27:22
But we are in the midst of a period of major change for The U.
2:27:26
S.
2:27:26
Emergency management system, and we must prepare for a world where we cannot depend on the historic structure of state and federal support that exists before, during, or after emergencies.
2:27:37
And I want to be clear that this concern predates the current administration.
2:27:41
Over the last few years, New York City and many other cities across the state and country had to manage one of the largest humanitarian crises largely on our own with little help from the federal government.