Trump Teases Massive Overhaul or Potential Elimination of FEMA

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US President Donald Trump speaks as he surveys recovery efforts in a neighborhood affected by Hurricane Helene in Swannanoa, North Carolina, on January 24, 2025. (Photo by Mandel NGAN / AFP) (Photo by MANDEL NGAN/AFP via Getty Images)

After landing in Asheville, North Carolina to survey damage done by Hurricane Helene, President Donald Trump once again reiterated his thoughts on the failures of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).

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FEMA “has really let us down, let the country down,” Trump said to reporters, as noted by NPR. Trump indicated he’s examining “the whole concept” of the agency, and suggested that states should handle their own emergency response operations instead of the federal government.

“I’ll also be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA, or maybe getting rid of FEMA,” Trump added. “I think, frankly, FEMA is not good.”

Trump also promised his administration would step in and assist North Carolina to fix the damage quickly, vowing to “do a good job” for the state.

“We’re going to fix it, and we’re going to fix it as fast as you can,” Trump said. “It’s a massive amount of damage. FEMA has really let us down. Let the country down. And I don’t know if that’s Biden’s fault or whose fault it is, but we’re going to take over. We’re going to do a good job.”

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“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 … I’d like to see the states take care of disasters.”

NPR’s report added that Trump’s press secretary, Karoline Leavitt, later told reporters traveling on Air Force One that the executive order would direct a FEMA advisory council to “look at the agency and root out the corruption, the incompetence and the bureaucracy,” but would not abolish the agency.

 

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