President Donald Trump has made a significant move, signaling plans to dismantle the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and transfer its responsibilities to individual states once the 2025 hurricane season concludes. This announcement marks a significant shift in how the nation might handle disaster response in the future.
A Push for State-Led Disaster Response
“We want to wean off of FEMA, and we want to bring it down to the state level,” Trump declared during a Tuesday press briefing in the Oval Office. The statement comes months after he issued an executive order on January 24, calling for a “full-scale review” of FEMA’s operations. The president emphasized that state governors should take the lead in managing disaster recovery, suggesting, “A governor should be able to handle it, and frankly, if they can’t handle it, the aftermath, then maybe they shouldn’t be governor.”
The executive order established a FEMA Review Council, co-chaired by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, tasked with evaluating the agency’s effectiveness. However, the council has yet to release any findings, leaving questions about the specifics of this transition.
Concerns Over FEMA’s Performance
Criticism of FEMA has been a recurring theme for the Trump administration. In January, President Trump stated: “FEMA has been a very big disappointment. They cost a tremendous amount of money. It’s very bureaucratic and it’s very slow.” Noem doubled down on the need for reform, asserting that FEMA “fundamentally needs to go away as it exists.”
The administration has also pointed to allegations of mismanagement. Trump referenced an incident during the response to Hurricane Milton in Florida in October 2024, where a FEMA supervisor was reprimanded for “political bias” after instructing relief workers to “avoid homes advertising Trump.” The president also criticized the previous administration, claiming it left 2,000 displaced North Carolinians in “freezing 20-degree weather” during a federal disaster response.
The Rising Cost of Natural Disasters
The stakes are high as the 2025 hurricane season approaches. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts six to ten hurricanes between June 1 and November 30, with three to five potentially reaching major storm status.
According to NOAA, last year’s hurricanes alone caused $182.7 billion in damages, surpassing the five-year average of $149.3 billion. These escalating costs have intensified scrutiny of FEMA’s ability to manage large-scale disasters efficiently.
Trump has suggested that future federal disaster aid could be limited, with any support coming directly from the president’s office rather than through FEMA. “We all know from the past that FEMA has failed thousands, if not millions of people, and President Trump does not want to see that continue into the future,” Noem said, recalling Trump’s remarks during a January visit to hurricane-ravaged areas in North Carolina.
A Bipartisan Call for Reform
The idea of rethinking FEMA’s role has found some bipartisan support. Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) has advocated for changes, though not for abolishing the agency entirely. Moskowitz has pushed for legislation that would provide states with more direct disaster relief funding through block grants.
“Bureaucracy at the Department of Homeland Security is getting in the way of FEMA fulfilling its core mission,” he said last month. He argues that FEMA, under the Department of Homeland Security, has shifted focus to grant administration rather than prioritizing emergency management.
While Moskowitz favors restructuring FEMA to operate independently of Homeland Security, Trump’s vision leans toward decentralizing disaster response entirely. As the 2025 hurricane season looms, the debate over FEMA’s future is set to intensify, with states potentially facing new responsibilities in managing the growing threat of natural disasters.
The Fairview Gazette will keep you updated on the status of FEMA under the Trump administration.
