Donald M. Payne: “Hurricane Florence is possibly the most devastating hurricane to hit the Carolinas in a lifetime. Let us prepare for the…”

“Hurricane Florence is possibly the most devastating hurricane to hit the Carolinas in a lifetime. Let us prepare for the worst and hope for the best. As global climate change makes extreme weather events more likely and more dangerous, the Trump administration is burying its head in the sand. A month ago, FEMA released an internal review of its response to Hurricane Maria, admitting that, among other things, when Hurricane Maria struck, FEMA's warehouses in Puerto Rico were basically empty. Then yesterday we find out that the Trump administration diverted $10 million from FEMA to ICE in order to boost its detention program and lock up children in cages away from their parents and babies from their mothers. This is outrageous. It is just another example of how callous the Trump administration is and how misplaced its priorities are. I hope that FEMA and the Trump administration do better in the Carolinas because Hurricane Florence is going to be devastating. ____________________”