ESSEX — U.S. Congressman Seth Moulton, D-Salem, who represents Greater Newburyport, met with emergency management directors from across the 6th Congressional District on Monday to discuss Trump administration cuts to Federal Emergency Management Agency and Department of Transportation climate resilience programs.
The cuts, according to Moulton, sever a crucial funding for elevating roads, rebuilding seawalls, repairing culverts, nourishing dunes, and preventing wildfires across Massachusetts.
“No district is more beautiful than Massachusetts’ 6th. From the Merrimack Valley down the North Shore, we’re surrounded by vibrant communities, historic sights, and breathtaking vistas,” Moulton said. “But, climate change is threatening our region with strong storms and recurrent droughts. With severe weather, we’ve seen communities flooded and burned, businesses destroyed, homes damaged, and travel brought to a grinding halt.”
Federal grant funding, according to Christian Cunnie from the International Association of Emergency Managers, is the lifeline of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA).
“The Emergency Management Performance Grant alone makes up half of MEMA’s operating budget and serves as the sole source of funding for many local programs across the state. Without it, the system cannot function. On top of this, the loss of 20% of FEMA’s workforce is deeply concerning. Local, state, and federal agencies must build a strong, reliable partnership, and that requires FEMA at full strength before, during, and after disasters,” Cunnie said.
FEMA programs such as Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities and Hazard and Flood Mitigation Assistance have long bolstered local efforts to protect communities. DOT’s Promoting Resilient Operations for Transformative, Efficient, and Cost-saving Transportation Program (PROTECT) provides funding to ensure surface transportation resilience to natural hazards including climate change, sea level rise, flooding, extreme weather events, and other natural disasters through support of planning activities, resilience improvements, community resilience and evacuation routes, and at-risk coastal infrastructure. All of these programs have been eliminated by the Trump Administration, according to Moulton’s office.