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As the Trump administration prepares for hurricane season, FEMA’s future hangs in the balance. Despite efforts to downsize or eliminate the agency, key employees will be kept in place and reimbursements to states will continue, raising concerns about its ability to respond during critical times.
Keeping FEMA Alive During Hurricane Season: The Trump Administration’s Dilemma
The Trump administration has been moving to drastically cut or even eliminate the disaster response and relief agency, FEMA. However, with hurricane season approaching, the administration has been quietly pushing behind the scenes to keep key employees in place and to approve reimbursements to states previously hit by disaster.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is a United States government agency responsible for coordinating disaster response and recovery efforts.
Established in 1979, FEMA is headquartered in Washington, D.C.
The agency's primary mission is to reduce the impact of disasters on communities by developing and implementing emergency management plans.
FEMA works closely with state and local governments to provide financial assistance, resources, and expertise to affected areas.
In 2020, FEMA responded to over 1,000 disasters, providing aid to millions of people across the country.
The Uncertainty Surrounding FEMA‘s Future
Publicly, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has said that FEMA needs to be reoriented or even done away with altogether. However, this stance appears to be at odds with the administration’s internal recognition of the importance of keeping key elements of the agency in place for now.
Keeping Key Employees and Reimbursements
According to internal documents reviewed by NBC News, Noem approved a request from newly installed acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson to retain 2,652 employees whose terms had been set to expire between April and December. This move is significant, as it ensures that FEMA has a large number of key employees available during hurricane season.
A FEMA employee told NBC News that the workforce seemed surprised and pleased that Noem decided to keep these employees on after the administration had moved to cut them. The same week this decision was made, the White House was suddenly approving disaster recovery reimbursement requests from 10 states, accounting for 20% of all such approvals in Trump’s second term.
A Shift in the White House’s Approach
State and local governments are entitled by statute to have 75% of their costs for disasters reimbursed by the federal government. In the past, the White House generally approved what FEMA officials determined was appropriate based on those formulas, leaving the homeland security secretary to function largely as a rubber stamp.
However, with the White House pushing to downsize FEMA‘s role and encourage more states to bail themselves out, at least as of last week, the White House had repeatedly pushed back against FEMA‘s recommendations. Noem has taken an outsized role compared with previous secretaries in pushing the White House to support FEMA and reimburse states.
The Impact on States and Local Governments
For a state like North Carolina, it would be significant not to receive reimbursement for disaster costs. In fact, it could bankrupt the state. States would have to take out bonds or look at how they increase tax revenue. This approach might be twice what their annual budget is for the year.
The departure of senior officials from FEMA has raised concerns internally and among outside observers and members of Congress about its ability to respond during hurricane season. The agency’s senior executives had a combined 228 years of experience, but 16 have left since April, and four additional departures were announced this week.
In summary, while the Trump administration continues to move towards downsize or eliminate FEMA, it appears that key employees will be kept in place, and reimbursements to states will continue. However, this approach raises concerns about the agency’s ability to respond during hurricane season, particularly given the departure of senior officials with extensive experience.
A FEMA employee told NBC News that ‘the workforce seemed surprised and pleased that Noem decided to keep these employees on after the administration had moved to cut them.’
