Overview

• Officials have shifted from advocating FEMA’s elimination to planning an agency rebuild that emphasizes rapid deployment and state-led responses.
• DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin described plans to transform FEMA into a lean, deployable disaster force that cedes greater authority to state governments.
• The FEMA Review Council, formed by President Trump’s January executive order, is tasked with analyzing the agency and advising on reforms due in November.
• Despite high-level talk of change, no formal restructuring has occurred and any abolition would require congressional approval and could face legal challenges.
• Recent devastating floods in Texas have revealed delays in federal aid distribution and intensified scrutiny of FEMA’s performance.