Trump Eyes Sweeping Changes To FEMA, Disaster Relief Efforts
Daily CallerMAR 13
Trump Plans to Phase Out FEMA After Hurricane Season
Above: Members of the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force search a flood-damaged area in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene on Oct. 4, 2024 in Asheville, North Carolina. Image copyright: Mario Tama/Staff/Getty Images News via Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
FEMA is an expensive, bureaucratic failure that undermines state responsibility and creates perverse incentives for risky development. States already lead disaster response and only need federal resources when overwhelmed, so eliminating this bloated agency is a common-sense way to restore proper federalism while saving taxpayer money.
Democratic narrative
Trump has already begun dismantling FEMA during an active hurricane season, which will create catastrophic gaps in disaster response and leave vulnerable communities without critical federal expertise and resources. Many states lack the infrastructure, funding, and experience to handle major disasters alone, so completely eliminating FEMA will turn natural disasters into humanitarian crises.