The recent firing of the head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is just the latest in a string of blows for the nation’s top disaster-response agency, which has been repeatedly undercut by the Trump administration’s efforts to rein in spending and restructure the federal government. The dismissal of acting Director Cameron Hamilton on May 8 adds to ongoing layoffs, budget cuts, grant cancellations and leadership changes at FEMA, and officials now say the agency could run out of money as soon as July. … Experts say the turmoil at FEMA will leave millions of Americans vulnerable as climate-change-fueled disasters get worse in the months and years ahead — particularly as President Trump seeks to shift more of the burden of disaster response away from the federal government and onto the states. In the wake of January’s destructive firestorm in Los Angeles, FEMA notably opted to break from its decades-long tradition of testing soil for contaminants, as The Times first reported.

Other FEMA news:

• The Hill: Trump’s firing of FEMA director unsettles GOP senators
• The Wall Street Journal: FEMA head admits in internal meetings he doesn’t yet have a plan for hurricane season
• Los Angeles Times: Rancho Palos Verdes is home to a Trump golf course. But his (FEMA) cuts are imperiling the city’s landslide response
• Union of Concerned Scientists: Blog: 12,000 reasons why the Trump administration must be stopped from dismantling FEMA