President Trump is sounding the alarm—not about hurricanes, but about the bloated, underperforming agency that’s supposed to handle them. Speaking from the Oval Office Tuesday, Trump said it’s time for states to stop relying on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and take the reins themselves.
“We want to wean off of FEMA and we want to bring it down to the state level—a little bit like education,” Trump said, criticizing FEMA as expensive and ineffective. “It has not worked out well.”
The Trump administration is pushing governors to work together on natural disaster response, from hurricanes to wildfires, without waiting for D.C. to step in. He’s floated turning FEMA into a mere support agency—or eliminating it entirely.
FEMA, created in 1979, is facing heavy scrutiny. More than 200 probationary employees were fired earlier this year as part of President Trump’s federal government overhaul. Meanwhile, FEMA admitted internally that this year’s hurricane readiness was “derailed,” blaming contractor and staffing issues. The agency is reportedly “not ready.”
It didn’t help when acting FEMA administrator David Richardson told colleagues he wasn’t aware the U.S. has a hurricane season—though DHS insists he was joking.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem backed the president’s vision, saying FEMA should only step in during catastrophic events, while states handle the rest.
“This agency fundamentally needs to go away as it exists,” Noem said. “We need to have a response to states that supports them… with decision-making power right there in the states.”