Mike Pence Gives His Take On What FEMA's Role Should Be In Wake Of Catastrophic Flooding In Texas

In an interview with CNN on Thursday, former Vice President Mike Pence spoke about FEMA's role in disaster recovery.

Transcript

00:00Well, first again, let me say just our hearts have just been broken by the stories coming

00:07out of Texas.

00:08A friend of mine in Texas told me yesterday the Hill Country may be the most beautiful

00:14area of that incredible state.

00:17And I was so moved last night by reports of a worship service that took place and images

00:23of those children singing on the bus when they were leaving the camp.

00:27Gives you chills.

00:29It reminded me in 2017 when that horrific attack at the Sutherland Springs Church, Karen

00:35and I flew out and spent time with the families and we saw the faith, the resilience and the

00:40strength of the people of Texas.

00:43And I know they'll get through this, but they know they're not alone and the American people,

00:50we mourn with those who mourn and grieve with those who grieve.

00:55I think the question of FEMA's role is one that probably ought to be debated now going

01:03forward.

01:03I mean, in my experience, both as a governor and as a vice president, I saw the central role

01:10that FEMA played in facilitating state response.

01:15I take the secretary's point, who's been a governor herself, that states lead the response in Indiana,

01:24whether it was hurricanes or flooding or California wildfires or otherwise, that the states do take the lead.

01:35But I think that backstop of expertise and personnel and the ability to be on the ground, getting resources

01:44directly to the American people to help rebuild their lives is important and should be sustained.

01:50I remember after Hurricane Katrina there, I was in Congress at the time and we remember the tragedy around all of that.

01:58Congress then made an enormous investment in modernizing FEMA to the point where now FEMA personnel are able to literally

02:06stand in your front yard at your home devastated by whatever conditions and get your information and immediately process the federal assistance.

02:17So, yeah, it's important.

02:19We understand the states take the primary role in responding, responding, public safety, rescue, recovery.

02:25But I think making sure that the federal government is there speeding those resources to hurting Americans is important and should be continued.