{"id":342097,"date":"2025-12-11T01:16:13","date_gmt":"2025-12-11T01:16:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/342097\/"},"modified":"2025-12-11T01:16:13","modified_gmt":"2025-12-11T01:16:13","slug":"trumps-fema-council-to-recommend-dramatic-downsizing-and-overhaul-but-not-elimination-of-the-agency","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/342097\/","title":{"rendered":"Trump\u2019s FEMA council to recommend dramatic downsizing and overhaul \u2013 but not elimination \u2013 of the agency"},"content":{"rendered":"

\n A task force created by President Donald Trump<\/a> plans to recommend the most sweeping overhaul of FEMA<\/a> in decades, dramatically reducing the federal agency\u2019s role in disaster response by cutting its workforce in half and rolling out a new block grant system designed to get aid to communities faster and with less bureaucratic hassle.\n <\/p>\n

\n The recommendations from the FEMA Review Council<\/a>, a copy of which was obtained by CNN, do not propose eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem once vowed.\n <\/p>\n

\n The draft report does recommend changing the agency\u2019s name as part of a rebranding effort, referring to it temporarily as \u201cFEMA 2.0.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cIt is time to close the chapter on FEMA,\u201d the report states. \u201cA new agency should be established that retains the core missions of FEMA, while highlighting the renewed emphasis on locally executed, state or tribally managed, and federally supported emergency management.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n The council is expected to vote on the recommendations Thursday, after which the report will land on President Trump\u2019s desk for review. Trump has been openly critical of the agency and at one point suggested he would phase it out after hurricane season, which ended this month.\n <\/p>\n

\n The recommended changes, the council argues, are aimed at streamlining operations, cutting red tape and fulfilling Trump\u2019s desire to shift more responsibility for disaster response and recovery onto the states.\n <\/p>\n

\n The council also suggests raising the bar for states to qualify for federal assistance, a move that could leave states footing a much larger share of the bill for major disasters and handling smaller storms entirely on their own.\n <\/p>\n

\n The long-awaited report is the product of months of closed-door debate and political wrangling. Perhaps the most contentious recommendation is to keep FEMA under the umbrella of the Department of Homeland Security.\n <\/p>\n

\n Several agency veterans, state officials, and even some council members argued that FEMA should have greater independence. Public comments also overwhelmingly favored an independent FEMA, according to three sources familiar with the discussions.\n <\/p>\n

\n But Noem, who co-chairs the council and opposed moving FEMA, prevailed. The final report recommends leaving FEMA under DHS, preserving Noem\u2019s influence over its $25 billion budget.\n <\/p>\n

Rebranding and disaster aid<\/p>\n

\n As part of the overhaul expected in the months ahead, the council not only recommends cutting FEMA\u2019s workforce by 50% but also moving many employees out of Washington, DC \u2013 \u201crebalancing\u201d the agency\u2019s headquarters and field staff to reduce what it calls \u201cbureaucratic bloat.\u201d The report says the workforce reduction could be carried out over two to three years with any cost savings delivered back to states.\n <\/p>\n

\n It\u2019s unclear when the rebranding would happen. Trump officials have been pushing for a name change for months.\n <\/p>\n

\n In a March memo titled \u201cAbolishing FEMA,\u201d then-acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton floated options like the \u201cNational Office of Emergency Management\u201d \u2013 which would be known by familiar acronym \u2013 NOEM.\n <\/p>\n

\n Notably, some of the more radical ideas floated during the council\u2019s deliberations \u2014 such as moving the agency\u2019s headquarters out of Washington, DC (another DHS idea) \u2014 were ultimately left on the cutting room floor.\n <\/p>\n

\n Many of the disaster aid changes are likely to garner some support from FEMA insiders who believe that too many programs and responsibilities have been dropped onto the federal agency over the years, distracting from its primary responsibility of assisting states when they are overwhelmed by hurricanes, wildfires, floods and other catastrophes.\n <\/p>\n

\n But the idea of shifting more responsibility to states while slashing FEMA\u2019s workforce has sparked concern among veteran FEMA officials, who worry it could leave the nation less prepared for major emergencies.\n <\/p>\n

\n Some of the proposals will likely require action from Congress and changes to federal regulations.\n <\/p>\n

\n The proposed block grant system would deliver disaster aid to hard-hit states within 30 days of a major federal disaster declaration to provide a quick \u201cfinancial backstop and cashflow for the rapid response and recovery,\u201d though states will likely face a higher cost share than the current rules require.\n <\/p>\n

\n The plan would also consolidate individual aid into a single direct payment to survivors to accelerate disaster recovery. For homeowners, this assistance would be capped based on property value and level of need, providing a simpler way to cover crucial expenses like repairs and temporary housing.\n <\/p>\n

\n The council is pushing states to bolster their capabilities while raising the threshold to qualify for disaster aid. The president has the final say on disaster declarations, but these thresholds have traditionally guided if \u2013 and when \u2013 federal help is delivered.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cFederal assistance should only be reserved for truly catastrophic events that exceed [State, Local, Tribal and Territorial] capacity and capability,\u201d the report states.\n <\/p>\n

\n Trump administration officials have been discussing this idea <\/a>since the spring, when they proposed quadrupling the threshold, but never issued specific updated guidance.\n <\/p>\n

\n While the administration expects states to shoulder more responsibility, FEMA would likely maintain certain critical disaster resources like its Urban Search and Rescue Network.\n <\/p>\n

\n \u201cAlthough state and local authorities have the primary responsibility for responding to a wide range of hazards and protecting their citizens, the federal government should retain the responsibility to support these efforts when required,\u201d the report states.\n <\/p>\n

\n The report proposes replacing FEMA\u2019s current Hazard Mitigation Grant Program \u2013 designed to help communities build back safer after a disaster \u2013 with a two-part funding structure designed to more quickly provide money for immediate repairs and then long-term risk reduction.\n <\/p>\n

\n In a bid to make the National Flood Insurance Program more financially stable, the proposal would encourage private insurance companies to take over policies and seek to ensure homeowners pay prices based on their actual flood risk.\n <\/p>\n

\n For months, the council\u2019s members \u2013 mostly Republicans, with some seasoned emergency management officials \u2013 debated whether FEMA should remain under DHS, become an independent agency or be moved under the White House\u2019s National Security Council. Proponents of such a move argued this would insulate the agency from political maneuvering.\n <\/p>\n

\n But after intense pressure from Noem and DHS, the council is recommending that FEMA stay put. The report argues \u201cthe Department provides critical resources, budgeting support, and intelligence capabilities, which enables stronger disaster preparedness, faster response, and better recovery efforts for states and communities while maintaining government stability and continuity during crises.\u201d\n <\/p>\n

\n Meanwhile, Noem and DHS have been tightening their grip on FEMA, ousting some of the agency\u2019s most experienced leaders and installing loyalists with little background in emergency management.\n <\/p>\n

\n Noem and other DHS leaders also have slashed key grant programs, including the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, a move that\u2019s now tied up in court battles.\n <\/p>\n

\n State emergency management officials have been sounding the alarm for months<\/a>, warning that critical FEMA funds aren\u2019t reaching communities, leaving many to wonder what help will be available when the next disaster strikes.\n <\/p>\n

\n This report lands as Congress is discussing charting its own course for FEMA\u2019s future. The bipartisan FEMA Act, which has already attracted 40 co-sponsors, would make the agency independent and, like the council\u2019s recommendations, create disaster response and recovery block grants for states.\n <\/p>\n

\n Lawmakers say the goal is to give states more flexibility and improve the nation\u2019s ability to respond to emergencies.\n <\/p>\n

\n As the debate over FEMA\u2019s future rages on, one thing is clear: The stakes for disaster preparedness and recovery in America have never been higher, as climate change fuels more intense storms, creating increasingly catastrophic conditions for communities nationwide.\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"A task force created by President Donald Trump plans to recommend the most sweeping overhaul of FEMA in…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":342098,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18],"tags":[23,3,21,19,22,20,25,24],"class_list":["post-342097","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-united-states","tag-america","tag-news","tag-united-states","tag-united-states-of-america","tag-unitedstates","tag-unitedstatesofamerica","tag-us","tag-usa"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/342097","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=342097"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/342097\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/342098"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=342097"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=342097"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=342097"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}