Emergencies are expensive. Whether the COVID-19 pandemic, influxes in asylum seekers or weather-related disasters, communities can rally for clean-up and recovery.

At the end of the day, that’s all needs to be paid for.

“[Federal Emergency Management Agency] not only provides disaster assistance, they also importantly support preparedness, making sure that we are ready to mitigate the emergencies that come our way,” said Syracuse City Auditor Alexander Marion.

A lot of that support comes from FEMA, a 46-year-old federal agency that President Donald Trump recently said will be “phased out” after this year’s hurricane season.

How funding would work under Trump’s plan to get FEMA isn’t too clear, but the overarching theme is to make it a state issue.

“We're going to give out less money. We're going to give it out directly. It'll be from the president's office,” Trump said. “We have somebody here — could be Homeland Security, but we're going to give it out through a method.”

A FEMA council will be set up to look into how over the next few months.

While they might not always get what they ask for, this assistance isn’t small by any means. 

“We've sought reimbursements of upwards of $40 million or $50 million,” said Erie County Executive Mark Poloncarz.

Lack of specifics though have leaders on edge.

“Until we figure out what those cuts are going to be and what the processes that are going to take the place of the FEMA relationship with local and state government, it's hard to understand the vulnerability and impacts it's going to have on our communities,” said Syracuse Fire Chief Michael Monds.

Poloncarz, who sits on the National Association of Counties’ Disaster Reform Taskforce, knows FEMA isn’t perfect.

“I can tell you right now, we're still waiting for $5 million in reimbursement from the 2022 blizzard,” he said.

He adds that it takes time to avoid waste and fraud, and that you, “don’t throw the baby out with the bathwater.”

“It can be inefficient, can be slow. It can be a process that can be done much better,” he said. “[But] we have to have that backstop with regards to handling these massive disasters that can some of them can cost billions of dollars.”

The Trump administration said there will still be money, but the onus will fall on state leaders. 

“If a certain state, as an example, gets hit by a hurricane or tornado, that's what a governor, you know, governors, should be able to handle it. And frankly, if they can’t handle it, the aftermath, then maybe they shouldn't be governor,” Trump said.

“This is not an issue about governing," said Poloncarz. “The question is, how do you pay for it in the long run? I just don't see the federal government giving money to the states saying, 'OK, you said it's a $100 million of problem, here's $100 million.’”

Poloncarz would like to see staffing and leadership at FEMA stabilized, post-recovery assistance sped up and the reimbursement process revamped before any systems are torn down altogether.

“When it comes to disaster recovery, there's no political parties,” he said. “It's just put on your boots, do the work and help your communities recover.”

Since January, about a third of FEMA’s workforce has left or been fired.

Many states have seen their recent requests for aid reduced or denied.

While President Trump can make changes to FEMA — and how it functions — fully getting rid of it would require congressional action.

In a statement, New York's Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Services said: 

New York faces the nation’s most diverse threat landscape and our partners at FEMA play a vital role in helping local communities prepare for, and recover from, a wide array of threats ranging from extreme weather to terrorism. Not only does FEMA provide millions of dollars in grants enabling local emergency managers and law enforcement to plan, strengthen infrastructure and acquire the resources they need to keep their communities safe, but the agency provides billions of recovery dollars to New York communities looking to rebuild after disaster strikes. Rather than looking to dismantle this critical agency, we would encourage the federal government to actually invest in FEMA as the threats facing New York, and the entire nation, only continue to grow.