Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has instructed FEMA to draft a document on how to dismantle itself and establish a significantly smaller disaster response organization with a new identity. Since Trump took office in January, the agency has already undergone staff reductions of at least 10 percent, including a significant portion of its leadership.
The new document proposes to eliminate aid for smaller disasters, reduce long-term housing assistance, close the federal flood insurance program, and transfer much of emergency management to individual states.
“We all know from experience that FEMA has failed thousands, if not millions of people, and President Trump does not want that to happen again,” Noem said.
Former agency officials warn that this reform could leave millions of Americans without adequate protection, just as climate disasters are on the rise. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts that this year’s hurricane season, which officially ends Nov. 30, will be particularly intense and potentially deadly.
More than a week ago, the president told reporters, “We want to wake up FEMA and we want to take it to the state level,” adding, “A governor should be able to handle these situations and, frankly, if he can’t do that, maybe he shouldn’t be in that role.”
Trump also announced that the federal government will begin reducing aid for post-disaster reconstruction, and that funding will come directly from the president’s office
