FEMA: Strengths, Weaknesses, and the Road Ahead

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“FEMA should be terminated,” said President Donald J. Trump in November of 2024. FEMA, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, employs 20,000 people nationwide and coordinates the country’s response to disasters. Recently, FEMA has been involved in the recovery of North Carolina and California following natural disasters. In North Carolina, FEMA cleared 4 million cubic yards of debris and authorized 379 million in Public Assistance funding following the destruction of tropical storm Helene. In California, FEMA has approved $64,069,621 in housing assistance and $619,206,700 in home and business loan offers. While FEMA plays a critical role in managing national emergencies, Trump wants to abolish it due to its “bias” toward Republicans and the expensive housing of migrants in New York. 

FEMA was founded in 1979 under President Jimmy Carter. Following 9/11, FEMA and 21 other organizations became part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). FEMA has been reformed 3 times since the 9/11 terrorist attack: the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006, the Sandy Recovery Reform Act, and the Disaster Recovery Reform Act of 2018. When delivering recovery resources to the areas that need them the most FEMA is known to struggle with logistics.

As the quantity of natural disasters hitting the U.S. rises, President Trump is calling for response and mitigation of disasters to be conducted state by state. According to the National Conference of State Legislature, “the frequency of these billion-dollar weather events in the last five years has increased by 130% compared with previous decades.” This reality has caused many to question whether handling disaster relief on a state basis would be more financially effective, especially after FEMA received $300 million in federal funding in 2024. 

Trump has taken action in cutting New York FEMA funding. The Biden Administration gave New York $80 million in FEMA funds, but the Trump administration—specifically Elon Musk—head of the Department of Government Efficiency, claimed that the money was being used to house migrants in “luxury hotels.”  New York officials have denied this; however, the Trump administration has already fired four FEMA employees, including the chief financial officer. As a result, Trump has started an investigation into the productivity and effectiveness of FEMA.

Trump’s hatred for FEMA is partially due to the alleged bias FEMA had towards Trump supporters in Florida’s recovery following tropical storm Helene. Additionally, he has claimed in a Truth Social post that “FEMA spent tens of millions of dollars in Democrat areas, disobeying orders, but left the people of North Carolina high and dry. It is now under review and investigation.” While Trump has the power to reform the organization internally, it cannot be abolished without Congressional approval. As a result, Trump’s calls for FEMA’s termination face significant political and legal hurdles, requiring broader support from Congress to implement any lasting changes.    

In the days to come, it is unclear whether Trump will significantly reform FEMA or move to ‘terminate’ it during his presidency. It is also unclear whether handling disaster mitigation would be more effective at a state rather than a national level. However, it is abundantly clear that Trump plans to continue taking action toward its reforms similar to those that have already begun with the investigation of migrant housing in New York. 

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This article was edited by Anna Gehres and Kailee Pierce.