Trump wants to kill or change FEMA. What could that mean for Mississippi disaster relief?
During a tour of Hurricane Helene damage in Ashville, North Carolina, President Donald Trump said he plans an executive order to eliminate or overhaul the structure of the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
"FEMA has turned out to be a disaster ... I think we recommend that FEMA go away," he said.
Trump said he would reconsider “the whole concept of FEMA." He said states with regular natural disasters like Florida hurricanes and Oklahoma tornados are efficiently handling the process.
“I’d like to see the states take care of disasters,” Trump said. “I think you’re going to find it a lot less expensive – less than half – and you’re going to get a much quicker response."
The comment came before Trump tours widespread wildfire damage in California. He's threatened to keep federal disaster aid from getting to the state unless the state changes its water policies.
Project 2025, a conservative playbook developed by the Heritage Foundation, also calls for realigning the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Information about how he specifically wants to revamp the disaster relief agency is not yet available. Here's what we know about what organizations the president wants to change and how much FEMA provides Mississippi.
What agencies does Trump want to cut, reorganize?
In total, there are about 2.3 million federal employees. Some federal jobs could also be at risk, depending on planned department closures and proposed reorganizations.
Trump has tapped Elon Musk and Vivek Ramaswamy to lead the new Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). Initially, Musk said they could cut $2 trillion from the federal budget. However, that estimate has been downgraded to close to $1 trillion. (Multiple lawsuits have already been filed, arguing for transparency from the commission, and reports say Ramaswamy will step away soon to run for governor of Ohio.)
The federal government spent $6.75 trillion dollars in the 2024 fiscal year, according to the U.S. Treasury.
Trump previously announced plans to close the Department of Education and revamp Health and Human Services and the Department of Justice.
Project 2025 also called for the National Oceanographic and Atmospheric Administration to totally dismantled because of its work on climate change being "harmful to future U.S. prosperity." The group wants some functions eliminated or moved to other departments and the National Weather Service to charge for its data-gathering services.
Trump initially distanced himself from Project 2025, but 31 of the 38 authors had ties to the president or his former administration, and he's chosen several authors for key roles in his new administration.
How do people and governments get FEMA funds?
To get FEMA funding, people or a government agency have to be in an area that's part of a federal disaster declaration. FEMA has specific criteria for people to get grants and organizations, including governments, to apply for disaster recovery or hazard mitigation funds.
Projects, if approved, have to meet certain criteria, and the the federal agency has to have documentation the work has been finished in the correct way before it pays out. For example, a county would have to show that a road washed away due to flooding and show that that portion of roadway was fixed appropriately and safely. The county can't get the money and build an unrelated road somewhere else with the funds. But they might be able to elevate the road or build an alternative route if it's determined that place could wash away again in the future or has repeatedly in the past.
Sometimes, governments have a local match amount for repairs. And some don't develop or complete projects that meet the checklist for available funds.
How much does FEMA spend?
Across the U.S., FEMA has promised $249.4 billion dollars with $239.3 billion set aside for specific projects. $135.8 billion has been paid out.
These totals use information collected from 2017 through Nov. 12, 2024, and don't include spending for COVID-19 because that's handled separately by the U.S. Treasury. It also doesn't include the following programs because they aren't part of the Office of Management and Budget's disaster-specific tracking:
- USDA Supplemental Nutritional Assistance Program: $1.27 billion.
- USDA Wildland Fire Management: $184 million.
- USDA Flame Wildfire Suppression Reserve: $342 million.
- DOI Wildland Fire Management: $50 million.
How much does Mississippi get from FEMA?
Since 2017, FEMA has promised $1,114,222,840 for disaster relieve and mitigation. Of that, $1,109,768,502 was set aside for specific projects, and $868,047,525 has been paid out.
The majority of money went to the Department of Homeland Security FEMA Disaster Relief Fund. $761 million was allocated and obligated, and $636 million has been paid.
Most help, about $531 million, has been committed to severe storm recovery, such as tornadoes, straight-line winds, flooding and mudslides.
However, several hurricanes had allocations of more than $10 million from the Disaster Relief Fund, including:
- Zeta (2020): $164.1 million.
- Ida (2021): $52.2 million.
- Nate (2017): $12.8 million.
The Small Business Administration accounts for about $89.6 million in allocations to Mississippi, followed by $61 million to the USDA, $46 million to the Department of Commerce (including the Economic Development Administration and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) and $45 million to Housing and Urban Development.
How many disasters have been declared in Mississippi?
According to FEMA data, 94 federal disasters have been declared in Mississippi from May 2, 1953 to Jan. 24, 2025.
- 41 severe storms.
- 24 hurricanes.
- 12 tornadoes.
- 10 floods.
- 2 severe ice storms.
- 1 snowstorm.
- 4 other disasters.
Counties along the Gulf have seen the most disaster declarations, and the most severe storms happen in April.
In 2020, the state had 11 federal declarations approved, the most in any year tracked. That includes COVID declarations.
Contributing: Bart Jansen, Francesca Chambers, Phillip M. Bailey and reporting from Reuters
Bonnie Bolden is the Deep South Connect reporter for Mississippi with Gannett/USA Today. Email her at bbolden@gannett.com.