Reframing disaster relief through the lens of social reproduction, this book looks at the broken relationship between the federal government and civil society in times of crises. The author tracks the shifts in American emergency aid, from the economic crises of the 1970s to the COVID-19 pandemic, raising difficult questions about mutual aid's double-edged role in cuts to social spending. As sea levels rise, climate change worsens and new pandemics sweep the globe, the author’s analysis of the interrelations between the state, the market and grassroots initiatives will prove indispensable.