The Trump government says it wants to eliminate FEMA. This is what we know

President Trump says that Federal Emergency Management Agency, FEMA, must be eliminated and that states should take more responsibility to respond to and prepare for extreme weather and other disasters.

That would mean major changes for the millions of Americans who trust FEMA after hurricanes, forest fires, tornadoes, floods and other weather disasters every year. The costs of weather disasters in the US have been raised in the last decade, because climate change causes more intensive weather and populations grow in areas that run a high risk of hurricanes, forest fires and other destructive events.

FEMA is currently working with states to prepare for disasters, offers help on the ground during emergency situations and pays billions of dollars for repairs. Emergency Management experts and officials of the state reaction say that FEMA plays a crucial role State governments cannot handle it in itself.

This is what we know about the plans of the Trump government to eliminate FEMA.

When is FEMA eliminated?
President Trump says that the agency can be eliminated in December 2025. In the Oval Office in June he said that major changes would come to FEMA after the Atlantic Hurricane season ends in November. “We want to wean from Fema, and we want to bring it back to the state level,” said the president. He also said that the agency “will give less money” to states that recover from disasters.

The president too A council appointed From cabinet members, governors and experts in the field of emergency management, charged with recommending changes to FEMA. That group, the FEMA Review Council, had its first meeting in May and is supposed to make recommendations in mid -November. The council is expected to complete his work by May 2026, which suggests that the Trump government is planning to eliminate or restructure FEMA in the period between the 2025 hurricane season and the 2026 hurricane season.

Why does the Trump government propose this?
FEMA has a long history of not serving those who need the most after disasters. Under the Biden administration was the agency Take steps to tackle those problems. For example, the agency simplified the paperwork, expanded on the ground of disasters and made it easier for survivors to get money for diapers, food and other immediate needs.

The Trump administration uses a different approach. The president has repeatedly suggested that FEMA is hopelessly defective. During the first meeting of the FEMA Review Council, the co-chairman of the Council, Ministry of the Interior Security Kristi, said,: “The president and I have had many, many discussions about this agency. I want to be very clear. The president wants to eliminate it as it is currently. He wants a new agency.”

Does the congress not supervise FEMA?
Yes, and only the congress can completely eliminate FEMA, although the executive power can act in itself to restructure or reduce the size of the agency.

The congress has its own ideas about how to reform FEMA. A two -footed account Through the congress, the process for survivors of disasters would simplify to request federal help and remove FEMA from the Ministry of Interior Security, giving the agency a direct line to the president.

That legislative proposal would also encourage states to invest more in disaster parrot, by binding it to federal help after a disaster. The focus of the bill on the preparation as a key responsibility of FEMA is at odds with the approach of the Trump government to reform the agency that has been included so far Drastically reducing the expenditure for disaster parrosity of FEMA.

Which specific FEMA changes are proposed by the Trump government?
The president has suggested that the federal government should play a much smaller role in responding to disasters. But it is unclear what that means in practice.

During the first meeting of the FEMA Review Council, Secretary said that she supports a simplified payment system in which states receive large subsidies for the repair of emergency recovery from the federal government, instead of tailor -made reimbursements and subsidies to cover specific repairs. And President Trump said in June that FEMA will offer less disaster -related help to states in general.

Bloomberg News also reported that one Memo van Internal Bureau from March Confirm that the leaders of the Agency consider changing FEMA’s policy to make it more difficult for states to receive financing after disasters.

Other members of the Review Council suggested that the national flood insurance program of FEMA in Krimpen, which offers the majority of residential flood insurance in the US and FEMA Billions of dollars canceled From subsidies for infrastructure upgrades that should prevent future damage from extreme weather.

Is FEMA ready to respond to disasters at the moment?
According to many measures, FEMA seems less ready to respond to disasters than before President Trump took office.

The acting FEMA director, Cameron Hamilton, was leave abrupt in the spring. He was replaced by David Richardson, a DHS officer who has no previous experience in emergency management.

After Richardson had taken over, Reuters reported More than a dozen Top-Fema employees have resigned, including the then second the command at the desk. In June, the head of the disaster coordination of the agency Office resigned.

And changes in other parts of the federal government have also affected FEMA. An Americors program that has trained and used young people to help after disasters were canceled due to an executive order that was signed in the early days of Trump’s second term. And the Department of Homeland Security, which usually delivers Extra staff for FEMA After particularly large disasters it is already thin Because of the focus of the administration on arresting and deporting people.