Executive Order 14239, "Achieving Efficiency Through State and Local Preparedness," signed by President Donald J. Trump on March 18, 2025, 89 Federal Register 20467 (March 21, 2025). "This article was drafted with the assistance of ChatGPT, an AI language model. All content has been reviewed and edited by Vernellia Randall to ensure accuracy and coherence."

 

vernelliarandall2015Executive Summary

Executive Order 14239, signed on March 18, 2025, shifts primary responsibility for disaster preparedness from the federal government to state and local entities. While presented as a move toward efficiency and resilience, this decentralization threatens to deepen long-standing inequities in Black, Brown, and Native American communities. These populations already face systemic underinvestment, greater exposure to environmental risks, and exclusion from decision-making. Without federal oversight and equity mandates, this policy may exacerbate racial disparities in disaster readiness and response. This brief calls for federal safeguards, tribal consultation, and inclusive planning processes to ensure that national resilience does not come at the cost of racial justice.

 

The Issue

Executive Order 14239 emphasizes "commonsense" local control of disaster preparedness, with the federal government in a supporting role. It requires the development of a National Resilience Strategy, reviewing infrastructure policies, and improving communication with state and local stakeholders. However, it does not include specific equity protections, funding mechanisms, or federal standards to prevent harm to historically marginalized communities.

 

Equity Risks and Impacts

1. Underinvestment in Marginalized Communities State and local governments have a history of underfunding Black, Brown, and Native communities. Disaster preparedness is often weakest in these areas due to neglected infrastructure, limited emergency services, and economic disinvestment.

2. Environmental and Geographic Risk These communities are disproportionately located in high-risk zones due to historic racism in housing and land use. Without targeted intervention, decentralization allows inequitable risk exposure to persist or worsen.

3. Native Nations Face Unique Challenges Tribal communities often face jurisdictional complexity, infrastructure deficits, and exclusion from state-level emergency planning. The executive order makes no mention of tribal consultation or sovereignty.

4. Loss of Federal Accountability Federal civil rights protections and oversight mechanisms help ensure nondiscriminatory disaster response. Their removal opens the door to local decisions that may reinforce bias and exclusion.

5. Community Disempowerment Improved communication is not a substitute for equitable representation. Black, Brown, and Native communities are often left out of emergency planning and decision-making, and this policy does not correct that imbalance.

 

Policy Recommendations

1. Enforce Federal Equity Safeguards

Require equity assessments and civil rights compliance in all federally-supported disaster planning and resilience strategies.

2. Mandate Tribal Consultation

Ensure tribal nations have a formal, sovereign role in shaping resilience policy and direct access to federal preparedness resources.

3. Invest in Community-Led Preparedness

Fund grassroots organizations and local leaders already trusted in communities to design and implement emergency strategies.

4. Restore Federal Oversight Mechanisms

Maintain federal standards and monitoring to ensure local plans are inclusive, accountable, and equitable.

5. Require Disaggregated Data Reporting

Mandate transparency on disaster funding and preparedness, and impact data by race and geography to track disparities.

 

Call to Action

We urge Congress, federal agencies, and national resilience leaders to act now:

  • Integrate racial equity into all aspects of the National Resilience Strategy.
  • Provide dedicated funding streams to support marginalized communities.
  • Uphold civil rights and tribal sovereignty as central to national disaster policy.

No community should be left behind in preparedness. With the right policies and actions, we can achieve resilience that is truly equitable and just.