OAN Staff Abril Elfi and Brooke Mallory
11:55 AM – Wednesday, June 11, 2025
President Donald Trump has declared his intention to dismantle the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following the 2025 hurricane season, transferring its responsibilities to individual state governments instead.
On Tuesday, Trump told reporters in the Oval Office that he wants to “wean off” FEMA, months after he signed an executive order for a “full-scale review” of the agency.
“We want to wean off of FEMA, and we want to bring it down to the state level,” Trump said. “A governor should be able to handle it, and frankly, if they can’t handle the aftermath, then maybe they shouldn’t be governor.”
AdvertisementCriticism of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has surfaced repeatedly over the years, often in response to its handling of major disasters.
The agency has been accused of failing to effectively coordinate with state and local emergency agencies, resulting in duplicated efforts, miscommunication, and delayed relief. Additionally, FEMA has faced accusations of distributing aid unevenly, with wealthier and “politically connected” regions receiving faster or more comprehensive assistance than poorer or marginalized communities.
The order also highlighted how a now-fired FEMA worker, who had directed other workers helping hurricane survivors, previously told her subordinates to avoid assisting homes with yard signs supporting President Donald Trump, according to AP News. The order further criticized FEMA’s “political bias” — as that supervisor was eventually chastised and let go for indulging in illegal partisan activities.
In addition, Trump has maintained that FEMA is known for its “slow and inefficient response.”
2005: Hurricane Katrina — FEMA was heavily criticized for its delayed and disorganized response. Victims waited days for basic aid, and coordination with local and state governments was poor.
2017: Puerto Rico — FEMA was faulted for an inadequate and sluggish response, with delays in delivering food, water, and electricity restoration.
The January 24th executive order appointed Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to co-chair a FEMA Review Council to assess the agency’s effectiveness. However, that body has yet to publish its conclusions.
During the Oval Office meeting on Tuesday, Noem stated that FEMA “fundamentally needs to go away as it exists.”
Meanwhile, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has “predicted between six and 10 hurricanes from June 1st and November 30th,” three to five of which will be “significant storms,” according to them.
NOAA also stated that hurricanes caused $182.7 billion in damages last year, which was significantly greater than the average yearly cost during the previous five years.
“We all know from the past that FEMA has failed thousands, if not millions of people, and President Trump does not want to see that continue into the future,” Noem told reporters, echoing the president’s remarks in January as he visited hurricane-struck regions in North Carolina.
“FEMA has been a very big disappointment. They cost a tremendous amount of money. It’s very bureaucratic and it’s very slow,” Trump added.
The GOP president has also previously stated that the Biden administration displaced 2,000 people from North Carolina out of temporary shelters during their federal disaster response, placing them in “freezing 20-degree weather.”
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