FEMA faces shakeup under Trump while it wrestles with disasters on both coasts

U.S. President Donald Trump is planning to reshape the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has recently been at the forefront of responding to California wildfires and last year's hurricane in North Carolina. According to a source familiar with the matter, Trump had lengthy discussions with Republican congressional leaders this week, exploring whether FEMA should continue providing aid to states in the same manner.

Conservatives have previously suggested reducing reimbursements to states for preventing and responding to disasters such as floods, tornadoes, and hurricanes. In an interview with Fox News' Sean Hannity this week, Trump criticized FEMA, stating that "FEMA has not done a good job in the last four years" and that "FEMA is holding everything up." Trump is scheduled to visit North Carolina and California on Friday, his first trip since taking office this week, both states having been severely impacted by a hurricane and destructive fires, respectively.

North Carolina has been a focal point of Republican criticism of FEMA, with some of the criticism stemming from misinformation. For example, conservatives have claimed on social media that hurricane victims received only $750 in relief funds, even after suffering devastating losses, but these funds were merely temporary measures for emergency expenses until additional aid could be distributed. The growing hostility has led to concerns that FEMA personnel could become targets for militia groups.

In his interview with Hannity, Trump also suggested he would deny aid to California. "I don't think we should give California anything until they get the water flowing into their system," he said. The President falsely claimed that California's water policies (involving fish protection efforts in the northern part of the state) led to fire hydrants in Los Angeles having no water available during the fires. Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has also hinted that federal aid to California could come with conditions.

Congress just last year replenished the federal disaster aid fund with $100 billion as part of a massive year-end spending bill signed into law by President Joe Biden, following the back-to-back hurricanes Helen and Milton. However, the damage from the California fires is projected to be one of the most expensive natural disasters in U.S. history. Trump has appointed former Navy SEAL and Republican congressional candidate from Virginia, Cameron Hamilton, as the agency's interim head. Hamilton previously worked in emergency management at the Department of Homeland Security and the State Department, but has limited experience dealing with natural disasters.

Hamilton has criticized FEMA on social media and publicly stated his desire to strengthen security at the southern border, where the agency’s resources could be redirected. "Project 2025," a conservative blueprint prepared by the President's allies for Trump's second term, includes major proposals for FEMA. The plan calls for the dissolution of the Department of Homeland Security and moving FEMA to either the Department of the Interior or the Department of Transportation. It also suggests changing the formula the agency uses to determine when federal disaster aid is needed, shifting the cost of disaster prevention and response to the states.

Federal reimbursement rates would be set at 25% of the cost for smaller disasters and capped at 75% for larger ones. Currently, the President can authorize reimbursement for certain expenses, such as President Biden’s 100% reimbursement for certain costs resulting from Hurricane Helen and the California fires. According to an Associated Press poll, about six in ten voters approved of FEMA’s job performance in the November election, while about four in ten disapproved, but the disapproval rate was higher among Trump's voters, with two-thirds expressing disapproval of FEMA's performance.