President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem outlined plans on Tuesday to overhaul the Federal Emergency Management Agency, signaling a shift toward reducing federal disaster aid and giving more responsibility to individual states. Speaking from the Oval Office, Trump said the goal is to scale back FEMA’s role and move emergency management closer to the state level.
“We want to wean off of FEMA and we want to bring it down to the state level. We’re moving it back to the states,” Trump said. He also made it clear that less federal money would be distributed under the new model. “We’re going to give out less money. It’s going to be from the president’s office,” he added. Citing an example, he said, “I just gave out $71 million to a certain state. They were looking to do about $120 million they were very happy with the $71 million.”
The president suggested that the changes could take place after the end of the current hurricane season, which runs through November. Trump and Noem have both voiced support for dramatically scaling back FEMA or eliminating it entirely in its current form. The agency currently plays a key role in coordinating national responses to hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and other major disasters.
Noem, echoing Trump’s position, said she’s already started preparing governors for the shift. “You’ve been very clear that you want to see FEMA eliminated as it exists today,” she told Trump. “So I’m preparing all of these governors that they will have more control over the decisions on how they respond to their communities so that it can happen faster.”
She also emphasized the administration’s efforts to strengthen coordination among states. “We’re building communication and mutual aid agreements among states to respond to each other so that they can stand on their own two feet, with the federal government coming in in catastrophic circumstances with funding,” she said.
The proposal marks a significant departure from current federal disaster response policy, with critics warning that some states may be left unprepared to handle large-scale emergencies without sufficient federal support.