Proposed Cuts to FEMA's Flood and Pre-Disaster Mitigation Programs

What is it that you value when it comes to spending money? Do you want to travel? Have a nice car? Live in a nice home? Attend the theater? We all make these types of choices every day as individuals and as families. Below you can read several proposed cuts to federal programs based on President Trump's budget proposal. I know that there was a $53 billion proposed increase to military spending, but to pay for it and  to cut cut taxes, other things like science, social services and environmental programs are on the chopping block. 

Federal Emergency Management Agency:

"The White House’s proposed cuts to the FEMA’s budget would seriously undermine the nation’s ability to prepare for and recover from disasters. The 2018 budget proposes eliminating the National Flood Insurance Program’s Flood Hazard Mapping and Risk Analysis Program, which is vital for communities seeking to understand climate risks and take protective measures. The budget also cuts funding for the Pre-Disaster Mitigation Grant Program by nearly 61 percent. The program helps states, local governments and communities plan and implement long-term measures to reduce the risks and losses from disasters."

As a nation, we are seemingly hardwired only to be disaster-response-focused. All this "pre-disaster' stuff is superfluous and not needed. Saving future funding by preventing more damages doesn't pay off until there is a disaster. And there might not be a disaster at all — so why spend this money up front when we can save it and waste it somewhere else?