President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration plans to “wean” states off Federal Emergency Management Agency assistance after this year’s hurricane season, offering in the most explicit terms yet his plans for states to respond to natural disasters and other emergencies on their own.
“We’re moving it back to the states, so the governors can handle. That’s why they’re governors,” Trump told reporters in the Oval Office. “If they can’t handle it, they shouldn’t be governor.”
Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem have for months said they wanted to eliminate FEMA as it currently exists and hand control over emergency managements to states. That has puzzled some emergency managers who say that states have always led disaster response, and only seek federal aid and the help of FEMA staff if they need additional assistance.
In the weeks after Hurricane Helene last fall, FEMA under the Biden administration spent $4.3 billion on response and recovery efforts, including debris removal, temporary housing for storm victims and money for local governments, individuals and families.
A recent Trump budget proposal included $26.5 billion for disaster aid — $4 billion more than President Joe Biden’s last budget request.
But in comments Tuesday, Trump and Noem said they planned for FEMA’s role to look dramatically different in future disasters, after a recently convened FEMA Review Council completes a study of how disaster response can be improved in the United States.
The council includes current and former Republican governors and emergency management officials from Texas and Florida, and it’s co-chaired by Noem and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Its goal is to figure out how to streamline FEMA operations and ensure the agency “delivers rapid, efficient, and mission-focused relief to Americans in need,” according to an April announcement.
“Heckuva job, Kristi!”