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Federal Attack on Safety Net Could Jeopardize Hurricane and Wildfire Response
A perspective from Nathan Boucher
As a researcher focused on health and social supports for aging adults and people living with disabilities, hurricane season arriving amid our current politics gives me pause. As climate-driven disasters escalate across the United States, the nation needs a strong, responsive public safety net more than ever. Hurricanes batter coastal communities (and increasingly inland; see North Carolina in fall 2024), wildfires devour Western towns, and floods displace thousands with increasing frequency. Yet, the Trump administration’s deliberate weakening of human welfare infrastructure, erosion of emergency preparedness and response systems by dismantling FEMA, and discriminatory policies toward marginalized populations threaten to turn these natural disasters into human catastrophes.
At the heart of disaster response is the federal government’s ability to provide swift, coordinated relief to people in crisis. But that ability relies heavily on agencies like FEMA, the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), and public service programs such as AmeriCorps and Medicaid—all of which have been undermined by Trump’s administration. In 2025 alone, AmeriCorps saw a $400 million budget cut that eliminated over 32,000 community service roles, including those supporting disaster recovery, senior care, and healthcare in underserved areas. These “boots on the ground” are often the first to assist in shelters, distribute aid, or help displaced people navigate bureaucratic hurdles after losing everything. Cutting these resources weakens the lifeline for thousands during emergencies.
Moreover, Trump’s broad attempts to shrink Medicaid—via work requirements, deep budget cuts, and new exclusions such as the ban on coverage for gender-affirming care—mean millions of Americans may go without essential health services during and after climate disasters. Hurricanes and wildfires exacerbate medical needs: respiratory illness spikes due to poor air quality, access to prescriptions and treatment is disrupted, and mental health issues surge. Medicaid is often the only source of care for low-income or disabled people in these circumstances. The Congressional Budget Office estimates that Trump’s recent policy changes will result in more than 10 million people losing coverage by 2034. That’s 10 million more Americans left vulnerable in a disaster.
Even more disturbing is the administration’s ideologically driven discrimination in who deserves help. Executive actions, such as those banning gender-affirming care and rescinding grants for domestic violence victims, send a chilling message: only some Americans are worthy of safety. During disaster recovery, this may translate into unequal treatment in shelters, access to housing, and healthcare—potentially for transgender individuals, immigrants, and low-income women. Trump’s enforcement of the Hyde Amendment via executive order has also further restricted reproductive healthcare during emergencies, when access is already perilous.
Public health and scientific infrastructure—vital in predicting, mitigating, and responding to disasters—has also taken a hit. The Trump administration slashed staffing at the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) by over 85%, threatening worker safety during cleanup and recovery operations. Emergency responders and utility workers who face toxic exposures after wildfires or hurricanes depend on NIOSH for safety standards and research. Weakening this institution endangers both the responders and the communities they serve.
All of this is undergirded by a politics of grievance that sees disaster spending not as an act of collective care but as a transactional, often partisan issue. Under Trump’s first term, Puerto Rico’s slow and inadequate recovery from Hurricane Maria revealed how political bias and disdain for perceived “otherness” can turn disaster relief into disaster neglect. That same playbook—punitive, performative, and ideological—is being used again, putting countless lives at risk as we head into yet another climate crisis season.
To protect Americans from the growing threat of climate-fueled disasters, we must reinvest in the very systems Trump has targeted for destruction. Emergency response is not just about sandbags and sirens; it’s about having a functioning, inclusive, and compassionate safety net before disaster strikes. That means restoring funding to public health, strengthening Medicaid, respecting the rights and needs of marginalized groups, and abandoning a grievance-fueled ideology that punishes the vulnerable.
The climate won’t wait—and neither can we.
Nathan Boucher is associate professor of medicine, nursing, and public policy at Duke University.
“Viewpoints” on Chapelboro is a recurring series of community-submitted opinion columns. All thoughts, ideas, opinions and expressions in this series are those of the author, and do not reflect the work or reporting of 97.9 The Hill and Chapelboro.com.
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