Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said during a Cabinet meeting Monday that she plans to nix the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Noem announced that she was “going to eliminate FEMA” but did not immediately provide details about the future of the disaster response agency, according to a report from the Daily Beast.
The outlet noted that both she and President Donald Trump have suggested that states could exercise more control over disaster relief, rather than having a federal entity manage the responses.
FEMA is currently an agency under the Department of Homeland Security.
Noem said last month during an interview with CNN that she wants to “get rid of FEMA the way it exists today.”
“I believe that he will do that evaluation with his team, and he’s talking about it, which I’m grateful for,” Noem said when asked by host Dana Bash if Trump wanted to close the agency.
“He’ll work with Congress, though, to make sure that it’s done correctly and that we’re still there to help folks who have a terrible disaster or crisis in their life,” she added.
“He’s been very clear that he still believes there’s a role for the federal government to come in and help people get back up on their feet,” Noem continued.
#BREAKING: President Trump’s DHS Secretary, Kristi Noem, has called for the elimination of FEMA after Elon Musk’s post on X that:
“FEMA is broken…”
“Get rid of FEMA the way it exists today. We don’t need this bureaucracy picking and choosing winners.” pic.twitter.com/YABfBaxhDh
— Matt Van Swol (@matt_vanswol) February 9, 2025
The effort to end FEMA comes as Rep. Jared Moskowitz, a Democrat from Florida, and Rep. Byron Donalds, a Republican from Florida, submit a bill to turn FEMA into an independent agency that exists at the Cabinet level, according to a report from Government Executive.
“As these emergencies continue to grow larger and more widespread, the American people deserve a federal response that is efficient and fast. To achieve that, FEMA should be reformed,” Moskowitz remarked in a statement.
“FEMA currently sits under the bureaucracy of [DHS] — and with around 20 other agencies and offices under that umbrella, the set-up simply doesn’t work,” he continued.
“DHS has become too big and too slow to oversee what needs to be a quick and flexible emergency response.”
Donalds similarly called FEMA “overly bureaucratic” and “overly politicized.”
The agency has indeed received criticism from Trump and his advisers in recent weeks.
Elon Musk, who leads the Department of Government Efficiency, revealed last month that FEMA had authorized a $59 million payment to “luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants.”
That authorization came despite executive orders from Trump making it clear that the federal government would work to end mass illegal immigration.
At least some FEMA employees were also directed during the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and Hurricane Milton to avoid assisting homeowners who displayed Trump signs or flags on their properties.
