What is FEMA and why does Trump want to get rid of it? Here's what to know
President Donald Trump threatened to overhaul the Federal Emergency Management Agency or "get rid of it" completely during a briefing on North Carolina's hurricane recovery.
Trump said during a press briefing that he would sign an “executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA, or maybe getting rid of them.”
Later during a tour of North Carolina's damage left by Hurricane Helene, Trump said “"FEMA has turned out to be a disaster ... I think we recommend that FEMA go away."
Trump said he was "very disappointed with the federal response to the hurricane." Adding, "They cost a tremendous amount of money, it's very bureaucratic and it's very slow. Other than that, we're very happy with them. And I think when there's a problem with the state, I think that that problem should be taken care of by the state. That's what we have states for, they take care of problems, and a governor can handle something very quickly."
During the press briefing, Trump blamed Former President Joe Biden for doing a "bad job." He said "Some residents still don't have hot water, drinking water or anything else and many of them don't have quarters. They don't have anything. They got a stipend for what they lost and we're going to take care of it."
Trump promised to respond with "strong action" to get North Carolina more support to recover and rebuild. He said he'd recommend getting rid of FEMA and pay states directly instead for their work.
“I like, frankly, the concept that when North Carolina gets hit, the governor takes care of it. When Florida gets hit, the governor takes care of it, meaning the state takes care of it,” he said. Adding, “To have a group of people come in from an area that don’t even know where they’re going, in order to solve immediately a problem is something that never worked for me.”
The president is scheduled to continue his tour to Los Angeles to survey the damage caused by the wildfires that have ravaged the state.
According to a New York Times report, some former FEMA leaders agree with Trump, in that states should be in charge of managing their own disasters.
What is FEMA?
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is a United States government agency that coordinates the federal response to disasters. It was created in 1979 through an executive order by Former President Jimmy Carter.
The agency is headquartered in Washington, D.C. and employs over 20,000 people nationwide. It has an operating budget and disaster relief fund used to reimburse states and local governments in emergencies. It also includes money for residents that can be used for emergency needs or help uninsured homeowners to rebuild.
According to FEMA, their mission "is helping people before, during and after disasters. Our core values and goals help us achieve it."