President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem detailed changes they hope to make to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), indicating they intend to eliminate the agency “as it exists today” and to dole out less money to states that are hit by disasters.
“We want to wean off of FEMA and we want to bring it down to the state level. … We’re moving it back to the states,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
“We’re going to give out less money. … It’s going to be from the president’s office,” he said. “As an example, I just gave out $71 million to a certain state. They were looking to do about $120 [million] — they were very happy with the $71 million.”
Trump also indicated that changes could come after the current hurricane season, which lasts from June through November.
Both Trump and Noem have called for axing the disaster agency, which helps coordinate responses to hurricanes, wildfires and more.
Noem reiterated those calls on Tuesday, telling Trump, “You’ve been very clear that you want to see FEMA eliminated as it exists today, so I’m preparing all of these governors that they will have more control over the decisions on how they respond to their communities so that it can happen faster.”
She added that the administration was “building communication and mutual aid agreements among states to respond to each other so that they can stand on their own two feet with the federal government coming in in catastrophic circumstances with funding.”
Republicans have, in recent months, become increasingly critical of the disaster agency after reporting emerged that an employee advised her survivor assistance team not to visit homes with Trump signs.
However, experts have raised concerns about the administration’s calls to gut the agency, noting that it could leave vulnerable communities without adequate resources or coordination after a disaster.
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