CBS’s Margaret Brennan raised eyebrows during a Sunday Face the Nation interview with Vice President JD Vance, asking whether lower-income states like Alabama, Mississippi, and Kentucky could manage disaster relief without federal help, referring to them collectively as “the Alabamas.”
Brennan’s question followed President Donald Trump’s proposal to either overhaul or reduce the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
She stated, “FEMA has specialized expertise that some of these states just don’t have in their arsenal… Will they be able to do this for themselves without federal help?”
Vance defended the proposal, emphasizing Trump’s intent to reduce bureaucratic inefficiencies. “The president, to be clear, is not saying we’re going to leave anybody behind. He’s saying we’ve got to cut through the red tape to get aid to those who need it most,” Vance explained.
Trump recently toured disaster-affected areas in California and North Carolina to review FEMA’s role and discuss potential reforms.
Mississippi Governor Tate Reeves took issue with Brennan’s phrasing, calling it “hilarious elitism” on social media platform X, formerly Twitter.
Reeves wrote, “She implies Mississippians know less about emergency management than D.C. bureaucrats — all because her favorite Democrats in CA and NC have failed their constituents.”
The exchange has sparked debate over the federal government’s role in disaster management and how changes to FEMA could impact lower-income states.
While Trump and his administration argue for more efficiency, critics worry that states may lack the resources to handle emergencies independently.
The comments have drawn attention to the financial and logistical challenges faced by southern states, as well as the cultural tensions between local governance and federal oversight.
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