WASHINGTON (March 27, 2025)—The Trump administration’s ongoing assault on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has taken an alarming turn, with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem reportedly directing that the agency be dismantled by October 1. FEMA is the nation’s lead agency on preparing for, responding to, and coordinating recovery from a range of disasters, working together with state, local and Tribal, and territorial governments. As a congressionally authorized agency, FEMA cannot legally be eliminated without an act of Congress.
Previously, the administration indiscriminately fired FEMA staff, froze grant funding for disaster recovery, and rolled back guidance related to addressing climate-related risks. An executive order signed by Trump last week aims to shift the burden for preparing for and responding to risks ranging from cyberattacks to hurricanes onto state and local governments in an apparent effort to reduce the federal role in disaster relief. For months, President Trump and Elon Musk have also made false claims on social media attacking the agency and its work.
Below is a statement by Shana Udvardy, senior climate resilience policy analyst in the Climate and Energy program at UCS:
“It is unconscionable to undermine, dismantle or eliminate FEMA’s disaster response capabilities and people will lose their lives if these actions go forward. Major disasters particularly require federal resources and state and local governments cannot cope on their own. Genuine reforms to FEMA should be informed by science, expertise, and the experiences of disaster survivors. Instead, this administration seems hell-bent on a cruel campaign of decimating an agency that millions of people rely on to stay safe and get back on their feet after floods, fires, hurricanes and more.
“With the summer danger season of extreme weather, including climate-fueled disasters, getting underway soon, these attacks on FEMA could not come at a worse time. Congress must push back assertively on these egregious plans in a bipartisan way—disasters do not discriminate based on politics.”
Below is a statement from Zoe Middleton, associate director of Just Climate Resilience in the Climate and Energy program at UCS:
“Local governments and states are ill-prepared to cope on their own with major catastrophic emergencies. States most vulnerable to extreme weather events would face the greatest financial hardships with the loss of federal disaster assistance and on-the-ground coordination.
“This administration is out of touch with reality when it comes to the extreme fossil fueled-climate change impacts experienced by communities across the nation, many of whom are still trying to recover from previous disasters. Without a robust federal response, millions of people will be left without pathways for assistance in dire situations. Inability to access aid in the days and weeks after a disaster will complicate recovery and drive families into debt.
“The threat to eliminate FEMA, which the executive branch does not have the authority to do, is yet another example of the Trump administration attempting to consolidate its power while stripping Americans of the federal government’s support to survive post-disaster and build more resilient communities.”
Additional Resources:
- Blog: US South’s March Wildfires Signal Risks of a Dangerous Spring Fire Season
- Blog: What Is FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund? What You Should Know, Why Costs Keep Rising and What We Can Do About It
- Blog: FEMA and HUD Firings: the Newest Tactic to Politicize Disaster Aid
- Blog: As Extreme Weather Intensifies, FEMA Needs Competent Leadership and Funding