Overview
- Trump announced he will start phasing out FEMA after this year’s hurricane season, ending its current structure.
- The administration will route disaster relief funding directly from the president’s office rather than through FEMA, with smaller aid allocations to states.
- Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem endorsed dismantling FEMA as it currently exists, championing interstate mutual aid agreements for response.
- FEMA has already lost about a third of its workforce under Trump, including significant leadership turnover, leaving it understaffed entering the hurricane season.
- Emergency management experts warn the shift could leave many states without sufficient resources or financial reserves to manage large-scale disasters alone.