Overview

• Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed the Trump administration's plans to eliminate FEMA during a Cabinet meeting this week.
• The administration argues that disaster recovery is best handled by state and local governments, criticizing FEMA for inefficiency and bureaucracy.
• Bipartisan legislation has been introduced to make FEMA an independent, Cabinet-level agency, though its passage remains uncertain.
• Critics warn that dismantling FEMA could leave disaster-prone and poorer states, such as Mississippi and Alabama, especially vulnerable during crises.
• FEMA's operational capacity is already strained due to workforce cuts, frozen funds, and ongoing reviews, as wildfires rage in the Carolinas and hurricane season looms.