Final answer:
A disaster authorization can be made by the President of the United States. The President shares power with Congress in matters of foreign policy, including disaster response and funding measures. The Secretary of State is also a critical figure in shaping U.S. foreign policy.
Step-by-step explanation:
A disaster authorization can be made by the President. In terms of formal powers in the realm of foreign policy, the president and Congress share power. Specifically, the President has broad-based foreign policy powers with some involvement from Congress, and there are sharply focused foreign policy outputs that tend to be exclusively the province of the president, such as the deployment of troops or emergency funding measures. However, Congress does play a role, especially regarding funding, as they control the power of the purse. Criticism of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after disasters has highlighted the importance of coordination between different federal and local agencies in disaster response. The Secretary of State also plays a key role in determining U.S. foreign policy, as seen with former Secretaries such as Hillary Rodham Clinton and Madeleine Albright.