We've travelled to the streets of Houston to see the debilitating effects of Hurricane Harvey. We've seen the fiery disaster that engulfed California. We examined the merit of preventative measures like FEMA's pre-disaster mitigation program, and we fell in love with the nonprofit organization that continues to sacrifice more than we could ever ask of them. When we look at the big picture though, we can still see the millions of people that are suffering, and we are angry. Very angry. At least I am. So I ask myself, who is to blame? If we know what Mother Nature is capable of and we know what it takes to help disaster victims before and after the storm, then why are people still suffering? Maybe it is because we are letting them. We aren't doing enough to restore their quality of life.
My first instinct is to point my finger at the head of the problem. Mr. President. I would like to just point my finger and say, "It's all your fault." For one, I'm too polite for that, and two, even though President Trump is the head of the country, he is not fully responsible for every little thing that goes wrong. Instead he hires men and women (mostly men, sigh) to do the dirty work. When examining our countries natural disaster response quality, there is one man to look at. Tom Bossert...
Tom Bossert was Trump's Homeland Security advisor. Bossert was responsible for leading the White House's efforts to respond to an unprecedented series of natural disasters this past year. You may have picked up on the fact that I am using a past-tense verb. Bossert was our natural disaster guy. Until he resigned. CNN reports that just this past Sunday, Bossert was a prominent figure in the discussion of an alleged Syrian chemical weapons attack. However, just hours after returning from this conference, news broke that he had resigned...
There are rumors going around that Bossert was not planning on resigning; he was pushed out by the newly hired national security advisor, John Bolton. However, in the context of this blog, the politics are not necessarily the important part. What is important, though, is what Bossert contributed to the millions who were suffering during Hurricane Harvey. Bossert served as the head of emergency response and rebuilding efforts during the series of hurricanes that touched down in the United States and Puerto Rico last year; this was his most prominent role while serving at the White House.
In August of 2017, Hurricane Harvey was on its way toward Texas. Not only was this hurricane going to have massive devastating effects on the population of Texas, but it was also one of the most important tests of Trump's presidency. Natural disasters are known to test the effectiveness of an administration and bare many political risks. Bossert acted as the communicator between the White House and the public and was in charge of explaining the government's actions and responses. He reassured the public that Trump was in close contact with the governors of Texas and Louisiana, and he outlined the preparations the government would be taking. Bossert even advised President Trump to stay engaged with the public by staying at Camp David in Maryland, where he could be closer to the storm.
Although I'd like to blame Bossert for all the devastating effects of a natural disaster like Hurricane Harvey, it's important to think about the nature of the situation; sometimes we have to let Mother Nature win and be there to clean up the mess. It seems to me that Bossert was acting with the public in mind. He considered how scared and alone victims might feel, so he knew it would be important to guarantee an action plan and reassure the people that the government was there to support them. Moving President Trump closer to the action was important because victims knew they were not alone. They could believe that our country was behind them in their time of need.
Additionally, Bossert was already considering the damage that this hurricane would bring. Just three weeks prior to Hurricane Harvey, President Trump signed an executive order that reversed Obama's efforts to protect infrastructure in areas likely to flood. However, Bossert asserted that "We shouldn't use federal money to rebuild in ways that don't anticipate future flood risk. We need to build back smarter and stronger against flood plain concerns when we use federal dollars." Although I cannot speak to all of Bossert's political movements, he was not afraid to stand up for what he thought was right even when he was standing up against his boss, President Trump. I think it is quite important for a Homeland Security advisor to be impartial to the president's wishes and to think logically with the public in mind. (At least that is what we hope for within our government, right?)
Even after the initial landfall of Hurricane Harvey, Bossert continued to look at the big picture. He acknowledged that the worst was yet to come and considered the effects of prolonged flooding. He assured those concerned that "We're going to posture ourselves for the long-term care of the medical needy, of the elderly, of the weak, and then we'll put ourselves in the position to provide the resources to rebuild and recover."
Just one month later, Hurricane Irma was predicted to hit the state of Florida. Bossert handled the effects of Hurricane Irma similarly; with logic and compassion for the people of his country.
To be honest, I'm not entirely sure why the Trump administration pushed Tom Bossert out of office. I thought he was doing a pretty good job, especially considering how he handled back to back storms that ravaged our country. We are on the brink of another hurricane season in June, and we probably need someone with experience like Bossert to help get us through the next cycle of storms. But, we also have to consider that this is the government. It seems that whenever someone is doing a good job, they get pushed out of the inner circle of government officials. We may never find out why Bossert was pushed to resign, but I do think we will regret dismissing his experience when the next round of Hurricanes hits.
My first instinct is to point my finger at the head of the problem. Mr. President. I would like to just point my finger and say, "It's all your fault." For one, I'm too polite for that, and two, even though President Trump is the head of the country, he is not fully responsible for every little thing that goes wrong. Instead he hires men and women (mostly men, sigh) to do the dirty work. When examining our countries natural disaster response quality, there is one man to look at. Tom Bossert...
 |
| Tom Bossert speaking as the President's Homeland Security Advisor - washingtonexaminer.com |
Tom Bossert was Trump's Homeland Security advisor. Bossert was responsible for leading the White House's efforts to respond to an unprecedented series of natural disasters this past year. You may have picked up on the fact that I am using a past-tense verb. Bossert was our natural disaster guy. Until he resigned. CNN reports that just this past Sunday, Bossert was a prominent figure in the discussion of an alleged Syrian chemical weapons attack. However, just hours after returning from this conference, news broke that he had resigned...
There are rumors going around that Bossert was not planning on resigning; he was pushed out by the newly hired national security advisor, John Bolton. However, in the context of this blog, the politics are not necessarily the important part. What is important, though, is what Bossert contributed to the millions who were suffering during Hurricane Harvey. Bossert served as the head of emergency response and rebuilding efforts during the series of hurricanes that touched down in the United States and Puerto Rico last year; this was his most prominent role while serving at the White House.
In August of 2017, Hurricane Harvey was on its way toward Texas. Not only was this hurricane going to have massive devastating effects on the population of Texas, but it was also one of the most important tests of Trump's presidency. Natural disasters are known to test the effectiveness of an administration and bare many political risks. Bossert acted as the communicator between the White House and the public and was in charge of explaining the government's actions and responses. He reassured the public that Trump was in close contact with the governors of Texas and Louisiana, and he outlined the preparations the government would be taking. Bossert even advised President Trump to stay engaged with the public by staying at Camp David in Maryland, where he could be closer to the storm.
 |
| Trump wishing Hurricane Harvey victims good luck as he heads to Camp David - Washington Post |
Although I'd like to blame Bossert for all the devastating effects of a natural disaster like Hurricane Harvey, it's important to think about the nature of the situation; sometimes we have to let Mother Nature win and be there to clean up the mess. It seems to me that Bossert was acting with the public in mind. He considered how scared and alone victims might feel, so he knew it would be important to guarantee an action plan and reassure the people that the government was there to support them. Moving President Trump closer to the action was important because victims knew they were not alone. They could believe that our country was behind them in their time of need.
Additionally, Bossert was already considering the damage that this hurricane would bring. Just three weeks prior to Hurricane Harvey, President Trump signed an executive order that reversed Obama's efforts to protect infrastructure in areas likely to flood. However, Bossert asserted that "We shouldn't use federal money to rebuild in ways that don't anticipate future flood risk. We need to build back smarter and stronger against flood plain concerns when we use federal dollars." Although I cannot speak to all of Bossert's political movements, he was not afraid to stand up for what he thought was right even when he was standing up against his boss, President Trump. I think it is quite important for a Homeland Security advisor to be impartial to the president's wishes and to think logically with the public in mind. (At least that is what we hope for within our government, right?)
Even after the initial landfall of Hurricane Harvey, Bossert continued to look at the big picture. He acknowledged that the worst was yet to come and considered the effects of prolonged flooding. He assured those concerned that "We're going to posture ourselves for the long-term care of the medical needy, of the elderly, of the weak, and then we'll put ourselves in the position to provide the resources to rebuild and recover."
Just one month later, Hurricane Irma was predicted to hit the state of Florida. Bossert handled the effects of Hurricane Irma similarly; with logic and compassion for the people of his country.
 |
| Bossert briefing President Trump on Hurricane Irma just one month later - Politics of Poverty |
To be honest, I'm not entirely sure why the Trump administration pushed Tom Bossert out of office. I thought he was doing a pretty good job, especially considering how he handled back to back storms that ravaged our country. We are on the brink of another hurricane season in June, and we probably need someone with experience like Bossert to help get us through the next cycle of storms. But, we also have to consider that this is the government. It seems that whenever someone is doing a good job, they get pushed out of the inner circle of government officials. We may never find out why Bossert was pushed to resign, but I do think we will regret dismissing his experience when the next round of Hurricanes hits.
I have heard about Tom Bossert being pushed to resign from his position. However, I was unsure as to why. From reading you post, I can now tell that there may not be a clear reason. I agree with you. I also do not know why exactly Bossert was pushed out of his position. I thought he was doing a good job, as well. But we never know... and this is the scary thing.
ReplyDeleteI actually laughed when you said " he is not fully responsible for every little thing that goes wrong." I also had literally no idea who Tom Bossert was! Maybe that's because he wasn't very controversial in the administration. Based on what you've written here, I am also a little bit sad to seem him go. I liked that he moved Trump towards the damage, because it really does make a difference to the public to know that the president actually cares!
ReplyDeleteFEMA takes a lot of criticism, especially from disaster victims. The cartoon "Boondocks" satirically ranked FEMA as the number one killer of African Americans. However, it is true that having such a government organization, with effective leadership that specializes in the handling of disasters is very important. As much criticism as they take, FEMA is still an important government organ
ReplyDeleteBefore reading this I actually had never heard of Tom Bossert, probably because he was not involved in scandals and controversy. From what you have said, it's too bad that he was pushed out because it seems like he was actually acting in the best interest of the people (what the government should be doing).
ReplyDeleteWell, good on you for being polite and not blaming the president for everything...but.... I'm not that polite. Never in any other presidential cabinet have we seen this much turmoil and turnover as what we've been seeing non-stop in Trump's administration. It doesn't matter who you are, you're probably going to get kicked out of the White House sooner or later... well, everyone except the Vice President. He stays no matter what, because he's the only person Trump can't fire. With all of this policy-reversing and take-backsies, I won't be surprised if the next time we suffer form another natural disaster, Trump will hide away in a mansion somewhere while the country flounders.
ReplyDelete