Disaster relief at stake as Trump moves to abolish FEMA

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is exploring ways to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), according to a report from Bloomberg News.

FEMA is a federal agency that provides disaster relief to states for an array of catastrophes, such as hurricanes, wildfires, and pandemics.

At Noem’s direction, FEMA produced a March 25 memo outlining how the agency could be abolished and restructured. Notable recommendations include providing smaller amounts of aid for fewer incidents and ending long-term housing assistance for disaster victims.

Carrie Speranza, a former FEMA adviser, told Bloomberg that “this just means you should not expect to see FEMA on the ground unless it’s 9/11, Katrina, [or] Superstorm Sandy.”

The proposal to decrease the number of incidents FEMA responds to also appears in Project 2025, the Heritage Foundation’s blueprint for a second Trump presidency.

President Jimmy Carter created FEMA as a standalone agency in 1979, after states struggled to respond to toxic waste in New York’s Love Canal and the nuclear accident at Three Mile Island in New Jersey. It was folded into the Department of Homeland Security following the September 11 terrorist attacks.

Republicans have targeted FEMA since its inception. Mitt Romney proposed eliminating the agency when he ran for president in 2012. President Donald Trump proposed cutting $667 million from the agency in 2019, but it was rejected by the Democratically controlled Congress.

That same year, Trump stripped millions from FEMA to spend on border security—less than five months before the first COVID-19 cases were reported in the United States.

Today, FEMA’s budget is $20.3 billion.

In his second term, Trump has already cut funding for a FEMA grant program that helps states prepare for major storms. An analysis by CBS News found that these cuts will disproportionately affect states that supported Trump in the 2024 election. 

This includes North Carolina, which was ravaged by Hurricane Helene last year.

Any attempt to abolish FEMA will likely face legal challenges. Like the Department of Education, the White House cannot fully eliminate the agency without congressional consent.