Romney in 2011: Shut down FEMA, let the states handle it During a primary debate, Romney suggested that states - or the private sector - should handle disaster relief

In June 2011, Mitt Romney said in a Republican primary debate that he "absolutely" thinks FEMA should be shut down, and disaster relief moved to the states.

Ryan Grim of the Huffington Post reported that Romney was asked by CNN's John King if he thinks disaster relief would be better handled by the states. "Absolutely," Romney said. "Every time you have an occasion to take something from the federal government and send it back to the states, that's the right direction. And if you can go even further, and send it back to the private sector, that's even better."

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"Including disaster relief, though?" King asked.

"We cannot -- we cannot afford to do those things without jeopardizing the future for our kids," Romney said. "It is simply immoral, in my view, for us to continue to rack up larger and larger debts and pass them on to our kids, knowing full well that we'll all be dead and gone before it's paid off. It makes no sense at all."