During a nationally televised Cabinet meeting this week, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem made a bold declaration: she plans to “eliminate FEMA.” Donald Trump, who led the meeting, responded with approval, saying, “That’s great. Great job.”
Noem’s comment came during a routine update on national security, catching both political observers and lawmakers off guard. She offered no further explanation about what would replace the Federal Emergency Management Agency or how disaster response would be handled.
Trump has long been critical of FEMA. Earlier this year, he announced plans to overhaul the agency, saying, “FEMA’s not good,” and hinted that eliminating it could be on the table. While his January executive order didn’t shut the agency down, it did call for major reforms. The order tasked the Homeland Security Secretary with evaluating disaster response systems and improving coordination between federal, state, and local governments.
Still, talk of scrapping FEMA entirely has sparked immediate concern from Democrats and disaster policy experts.
Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) criticized the move, stating, “The Trump Administration’s grand plan for victims of natural disasters is to abandon them—and it’s a complete non-starter.” He added that eliminating FEMA would hurt current recovery efforts and cripple future emergency responses.FEMA has historically been the lead federal agency for coordinating relief efforts after hurricanes, wildfires, and other disasters. With climate events on the rise, critics say now is the worst time to threaten its existence.
The White House has yet to release additional details on Noem’s statement or whether eliminating FEMA is now official policy. But one thing is clear—any move to dismantle the nation’s primary disaster response agency is bound to face fierce political and public opposition.
