Laura Gottesdiener: Romney Ducks Reporters on Ending FEMA!

Presidential candidate Mitt Romney found himself in an awkward line of questioning yesterday, when reporters wanted to know if he would really slash funding to FEMA, the federal government agency in charge of Hurricane Sandy relief efforts. Rather than fall back on his tried and true model of flip flopping his position to fit the latest poll, he opted for a bold new strategy, entirely ignore the question. "Governor, you've been asked 14 times. Why are you refusing to answer the question?" One journalist complained at Romney's press conference yesterday in Ohio. But still, not a word from the man who just may, but probably not, find himself in the position to be making such decisions. Meanwhile, his aides scrambled to assure the journalists that he wouldn't kill the disaster relief agency, although their boss's silence spoke far louder than their words. Romney's past platforms have indicated that the candidate would, in fact, push to splinter and then privatize the agency, although their boss's silence spoke far louder than their words. Romney's past platforms have indicated that the candidate would, in fact, push to splinter and then privatize the agency, which is designed to provide rapid, federal assistance in crisis situations, particularly after natural disasters. "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," Romney said during a CNN debate in June 2011, and if you can get even further and send it back to the states, that's the right direction," Romney said during a CNN debate in June 2011. "And if you can go even further and send it back to the private sector, that's even better."