Looming Government Shutdown Could Threaten Or Delay Vermont Disaster Relief,And Funds For Other States.

Furniture and other items ruined by flood waters sit on the
edge of a road in Cambridge, Vermont after being removed
from a damaged home. A possible government shutdown
could interfere with help from FEMA. 

UPDATE SEPT 27

The Washington Post today came out with some receipts telling us to what extent the expected government shutdown is already affecting FEMA 

payments to disaster areas.

This, even though the shutdown hasn't been started yet. 

According to WaPo, FEMA has already suspended $2.8 billion in grants for disaster recovery across the United States.

They're doing this so that there would still be money available for fresh disasters that could happen during the government shutdown.

The Senate Tuesday night came up with a bipartisan temporary resolution to keep the government running at least into November. But House Republicans want to die on the hill of a government shutdown for reasons.  Given Republican intransigence in the House, who knows how long the shutdown will last? 

It's still hurricane season, and FEMA is afraid another such storm will make a landfall somewhere run the United States over the next month or two.  Hurricanes are notoriously expensive disasters, and they need a pot of money to meet immediate needs after such a storm. That's why they're withholding the $2.8 billion for now that had been earmarked for longer term recovery projects. 

There's no sign any hurricane would hit the United States in the coming few days, but that could change later in October. There's also the chance of wildfires in California, as they often happen in the fall. And you could get a random tornado outbreak or flood in the Midwest or Northeast.

If a disaster were to hit during the government shutdown, a barebones, unpaid FEMA staff would have to deal with it. Such a shortcoming could create preventable deaths in a worst case scenario, but apparently some Congress creatures don't concern themselves with such trifles. 

PREVIOUS DISCUSSION, SEPT 24

Among the many, many problems a looming - and exceedingly stupid likely government shut down is an interruption to relief from funding for recent disasters. 

That includes recovery from the huge floods in Vermont this summer. 

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has already paused spending on some programs, like many long term recovery projects. 

That's due not to the government shutdown but the fact they agency ran through its budget. 

The pause had already raised fears in Vermont that long term projects to recover from this summer's floods and gird against future ones would be delayed or even canceled. 

That existing shortfall is because the overwhelming pace of disasters this year drained the agency's funds. And fast. The United States has suffered through 23 weather disasters costing $1 billion or more so far this year, the most in any year. And we still have three months to go in 2023. 

Now we have the potential government shutdown to perhaps make everything worse. 

Says CBS News:  

"A FEMA budget that's already tight and impasse in Congress over a bill to keep the government open beyond September 30 - when funding for federal agencies runs out - are threatening to slow aid to communities recovering from natural disasters."

Those communities include Maui, devastated by wildfires in August; northern Florida, smacked by Hurricane Idalia; and of course Vermont, trashed by catastrophic floods in July and early August.

Vermont Sen. Peter Welch acknowledge that money will eventually be restored even if there is a government shutdown. After all, much of it has already been allocated,  FEMA money is desperately needed by disaster-plagued communities now if not sooner. 

"We can't mess around with this bottom line. And it's absolutely inexcusable for us to not help the folks in Maui, to help the folks in Florida and to help the folks in this case, in Vermont" Welch said, as reported by CBS.

A shutdown would delay when those funds would be disbursed. "The pipeline of getting that money out is going to slowed down, because the people who logistically do the work of making sure all the paperwork is done on the federal side, some of those people will not be at their desks," U.S. Rep Becca Balint, D-VT told mychamplainvalley.com

The deadline for Vermonters to apply for individual assistance via FEMA is October 12. It's unknown whether a government shutdown would affect that deadline. I'm also not sure if there will be anybody to take applications to FEMA if the government shuts down after September 1. 

Among the communities worst hit in Vermont was Barre. Nicolas Storellicastro, Barre's City Manager told CBS a shutdown and even a temporary end to FEMA funding weighs heavily on him. "For us as a government, it would be devastating in the sense that we cannon, we absolutely cannot front the money to get us back to normal."

I'm being Vermont-centric here. But the reality is people all over the nation need FEMA disaster assistance. See those 23 billion dollar weather disasters cited above.

But of course we can't depend on some people in Congress to think about all the people that actually do need government services. They'd rather think of their political posturing, because to them, that's all there is. 

Disgusting!