Trump Issues Executive Order on FEMA Review

WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump on Sunday issued an executive order establishing a review council for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), just days after he floated shuttering the agency whose resources are strained following multiple weather-related disasters and which is burdened by past failures in handling massive storms.

Last Friday, the Republican president suggested closing FEMA during a visit to disaster areas in North Carolina and California, which were affected by a hurricane and massive wildfires.

What is FEMA?

The federal agency’s mission is to assist people before, during, and after disasters, including hurricanes, tornadoes, earthquakes, and floods. FEMA provides emergency personnel, supplies, and equipment to affected areas.

Its reputation was severely damaged by its poor handling of Hurricane Katrina in 2005, and the agency has struggled to recover since then. Trump criticized FEMA on the campaign trail and has continued since taking office. FEMA has a workforce of 20,000 that can increase to over 50,000 active members during major disasters, according to its website. Established in 1979, FEMA became part of the Department of Homeland Security in 2004.

Trump Criticism

Trump has accused FEMA of mishandling emergency relief efforts in North Carolina and expressed his preference for states to manage disasters with federal funding. During a visit Friday, he said the agency should be fundamentally reformed or entirely eliminated.

“FEMA has turned out to be a disaster,” he stated while touring a North Carolina neighborhood affected by Hurricane Helene. “I think we recommend that FEMA go away.”

He also criticized California’s handling of recent wildfires but pledged to collaborate with California Governor Gavin Newsom and offered help to L.A. Mayor Karen Bass.

FEMA Staffing

FEMA asserts it currently supports 108 major disasters and 10 emergency declarations, with 17% of its disaster-response workforce available.

After Trump expressed a desire to overhaul or dismantle FEMA, the agency’s acting head, Cam Hamilton, wrote to staff confirming that “FEMA is a critical agency which performs an essential mission in support of our national security.” Hamilton is a former Navy SEAL appointed temporarily to lead the agency after Trump took office.

FEMA Funding

Funding for FEMA has increased in recent years due to extreme weather events raising demand for its services. The agency received $29 billion from Congress in December for ongoing relief efforts.

A FEMA spokesperson stated last week that the agency has not received additional funding to reimburse states for recovery efforts following Hurricane Helene’s devastation in North Carolina and the Southeast U.S. There has been no presidential action or congressional appropriation under the current administration to provide funds for hurricane recovery efforts, nor credible reports of new funding.

Disinformation Campaign

While managing real disasters, FEMA has also faced numerous false rumors about how its funds are allocated. Trump and his Republican allies accused former President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris, the Democratic presidential candidate, of misusing federal emergency funds for illegal immigrants. U.S. Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene even claimed government officials controlled the weather.

FEMA has established a rumor response page on its website to counter the misinformation. One entry debunks the claim that funds have been diverted to immigration efforts, clarifying that no money is diverted from disaster-response needs; FEMA’s resources come from the dedicated Disaster Relief Fund.

FEMA Failures

The agency has been criticized for inadequate emergency responses to hurricanes, particularly Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico in 2017. Residents accused then-President Trump of delayed aid and clumsy remarks after the devastation. In 2005, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans, causing massive flooding and loss of life, severely damaging FEMA’s reputation due to its ineffective response.