{"id":2395673,"date":"2025-01-27T14:18:01","date_gmt":"2025-01-27T19:18:01","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-fema-works-and-why-trump-is-threatening-to-kill-it-washington-examiner\/"},"modified":"2025-01-27T14:20:03","modified_gmt":"2025-01-27T19:20:03","slug":"how-fema-works-and-why-trump-is-threatening-to-kill-it-washington-examiner","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/how-fema-works-and-why-trump-is-threatening-to-kill-it-washington-examiner\/","title":{"rendered":"How FEMA works and why Trump is threatening to kill it &#8211; Washington Examiner"},"content":{"rendered":"<aside class=\"mashsb-container mashsb-main mashsb-stretched\"><div class=\"mashsb-box\"><div class=\"mashsb-count mash-medium\" style=\"&quot;\"><div class=\"counts mashsbcount\">28<\/div><span class=\"mashsb-sharetext\">SHARES<\/span><\/div><div class=\"mashsb-buttons\"><a class=\"mashicon-facebook mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.conservativenewsdaily.net%2Fbreaking-news%2Fhow-fema-works-and-why-trump-is-threatening-to-kill-it-washington-examiner%2F\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Facebook<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-twitter mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?text=&amp;url=https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/?p=2395673&amp;via=ConservNewsDly\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Twitter<\/span><\/a><a class=\"mashicon-subscribe mash-medium mash-nomargin mashsb-noshadow\" href=\"#\" target=\"_top\" rel=\"nofollow\"><span class=\"icon\"><\/span><span class=\"text\">Subscribe<\/span><\/a><div class=\"onoffswitch2 mash-medium mashsb-noshadow\" style=\"display:none\"><\/div><\/div>\n            <\/div>\n                <div style=\"clear:both\"><\/div><\/aside>\n            <!-- Share buttons by mashshare.net - Version: 4.0.47--><p>The article\u200d discusses President Donald Trump&#8217;s recent threats to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) \u2062during his visit to a North Carolina \u2062area devastated by\u200b Hurricane Helene. Trump criticized FEMA as &#8220;a disaster&#8221; and signed \u200can executive \u200border to reform or potentially abolish the agency. Though, any critically important \u2062changes to FEMA are unlikely due to bipartisan support for the agency in Congress. <\/p>\n<p>FEMA \u200dplays\u200d a crucial role in <a href=\"https:\/\/amzn.to\/3YuVZYV\">coordinating federal disaster relief\u200b efforts<\/a>, which includes managing funding and liaising wiht state and federal authorities during emergencies. To activate FEMA&#8217;s resources,a state governor must declare an \u2062emergency. Trump has expressed concerns about FEMA&#8217;s bureaucratic inefficiency \u200cand \u200dhas\u2062 suggested that states should handle disaster responses with federal reimbursements.<\/p>\n<p>The\u2062 agency \u200bwas\u200c established in \u200b1979 \u200dby President Jimmy Carter \u2062and later\u2063 incorporated into the \u200dDepartment of\u2064 Homeland \u2064Security in 2003. Critics of this transition maintain that it has\u2064 led to disorganization and inefficiency in responding to disasters, as evidenced during events like Hurricane Katrina. Former \u2064FEMA director Michael brown has advocated\u2062 for the agency to regain its independent status to enhance its effectiveness.  <\/p>\n<p class=\"readmore\">\n    <button onclick=\"showReadMore()\" id=\"readmorebtn\">Read more&#8230;<\/button>\n<\/p>\n<hr id=\"line\">\n<span id=\"more\"><\/p>\n<p><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><?xml encoding=\"utf-8\" ?><\/p>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-header-search-button-mob dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><span class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-button\"><i class=\"tdb-mobile-menu-icon td-icon-mobile\"><\/i><\/span><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search\" aria-labelledby=\"td-header-search-button\">\n<div class=\"tdb-drop-down-search-inner\">\n<form method=\"get\" class=\"tdb-search-form\" action=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/\"><\/form>\n<div class=\"tdb-aj-search\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/#\" role=\"button\" aria-label=\"Search\" class=\"tdb-head-search-btn dropdown-toggle\" data-toggle=\"dropdown\"><i class=\"tdb-search-icon td-icon-search\"><\/i><\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<h1 class=\"tdb-title-text\">How FEMA works and why Trump is threatening to kill it<\/h1>\n<div><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-title-line\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\">\n<div id=\"Brid_1955379\" class=\"tpd-featured-video bridtv\"><\/div>\n<p>Over the weekend, President<a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/donald-trump\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> Donald Trump<\/a> threatened &ldquo;getting rid of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/fema\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">FEMA<\/a>,&rdquo; the Federal Emergency Management Agency.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<div class=\"article-paywall\">\n<p>&ldquo;FEMA has turned out to be a disaster,&rdquo; Trump said on Friday during a tour of a North Carolina neighborhood destroyed by <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/tag\/hurricane\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">Hurricane Helene<\/a>. &ldquo;I think we recommend that FEMA go away.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>On Sunday, Trump signed an <a href=\"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/news\/white-house\/3301146\/trump-takes-aim-at-fema-in-new-executive-order\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">executive order<\/a> to &ldquo;begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA or maybe getting rid of FEMA.&rdquo;<\/p>\n<p>However, the elimination of FEMA, which has been under the Department of Homeland Security since 2003, is unlikely to be supported by Congress, as the agency has received support from both Democrats and Republicans.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">How FEMA operates<\/h2>\n<p>FEMA&rsquo;s overall purpose is to coordinate with states how federal funding is used to address natural disaster relief and also to coordinate activities between federal agencies and authorities in relief efforts. An example of this would be FEMA acting as a liaison between North Carolina and the Army Corps of Engineers to remove debris and create infrastructure following Hurricane Helene. In addition to coordinating a direct federal response to natural disasters, FEMA manages preventive measures such as the National Flood Preparedness Program.<\/p>\n<p>Headquartered in Washington, D.C., FEMA <a href=\"https:\/\/www.fema.gov\/about\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">has<\/a> 10 district offices with more than 20,000 personnel. In December, Congress approved $29 billion for the agency to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/veto-of-north-carolina-bill-undermining-incoming-democrats-overridden\/\" title=\"Veto of North Carolina bill undermining incoming Democrats overridden\">fund relief efforts<\/a>. FEMA officials told <em>Reuters<\/em> the agency is currently supporting 108 major disasters and 10 emergency declarations.<\/p>\n<p>For FEMA to be deployed to a natural disaster, the state&rsquo;s governor must declare a state of emergency and then petition the president for FEMA to provide relief. On average, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.doi.gov\/protectnch\/about-NCH\/faqs\/responders#:~:text=On%20average%2C%20most%20response%20deployments,scope%20of%20work%20(SOW).\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">response deployments<\/a> last two to three weeks, but some can last up to 30 days. Before FEMA issues a response deployment, the agency must make a mission assignment detailing the scope of the work, which lasts either 30 or 60 days. The Interior Department must approve the mission assignment before FEMA can send volunteers with appropriate skills to address the crisis.<\/p>\n<p>Trump has criticized the agency for being &ldquo;very bureaucratic&rdquo; and &ldquo;very slow.&rdquo; He has also suggested that the states be put in charge of natural disaster relief response and then be reimbursed by the federal government.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">The origins of FEMA&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<p>President Jimmy Carter signed an executive order creating FEMA in 1979. It absorbed the Federal Insurance Administration, the National Fire Prevention and Control Administration, the National Weather Service Community Preparedness Program, the Federal Preparedness Agency of the General Services Administration, and the Federal Disaster Assistance Administration activities from the Department of Housing and Urban Development.<\/p>\n<p>FEMA, along with 21 other agencies, was absorbed in 2003 by the Department of Homeland Security, which was created by President George W. Bush in response to the 9\/11 terrorist attacks.<\/p>\n<p>The move was criticized by then-FEMA Director Michael D. Brown, who warned in 2003 that the reorganization would be &ldquo;an ineffective and uncoordinated response&rdquo; to a terrorist attack or a natural disaster. Brown&rsquo;s fears were proven to be justified following the agency&rsquo;s response to the 2005 Hurricane Katrina flood, which killed more than 1,800 people.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>Congress&rsquo;s 2006 &ldquo;Final Report of the Select Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for and Response to Hurricane Katrina&rdquo;<a href=\"https:\/\/www.govinfo.gov\/content\/pkg\/CRPT-109hrpt377\/pdf\/CRPT-109hrpt377.pdf\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"> revealed<\/a> federal funding for Hurricane Katrina was given less priority than preparations for counterterrorism measures.<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Current criticism of the agency&nbsp;<\/h2>\n<p>Even in <a href=\"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/democrats-unveil-government-funding-debt-ceiling-bill-that-gop-has-vowed-to-oppose\/\" title=\"Democrats Unveil Government Funding, Debt Ceiling Bill That GOP Has Vowed To Oppose\">recent natural disasters<\/a>, from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico to rebuilding in North Carolina following Hurricane Helene, FEMA has been criticized by both Trump and Brown for being unable to fulfill its goal due to being highly bureaucratic.<\/p>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/washingtonexaminer.com\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\"><strong><\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<p>In January, Brown appeared on <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=imfFPfTa3E8\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" title=\"\">NewsNation<\/a> to say it was &ldquo;a mistake&rdquo; to put FEMA under the umbrella of DHS.&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&ldquo;The smartest thing they could do is to pull FEMA out, give it back its&nbsp;independent agency status,&nbsp;and give the director direct access to the president,&rdquo; Brown said. &ldquo;If you don&rsquo;t have direct access to the president, like I had, it&rsquo;s not going to work.&rdquo;&nbsp;<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p> <script data-cfasync=\"false\" src=\"http:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/cdn-cgi\/scripts\/5c5dd728\/cloudflare-static\/email-decode.min.js\"><\/script><script>!function(){var g=window;g.googletag=g.googletag||{},g.googletag.cmd=g.googletag.cmd||[],g.googletag.cmd.push(function(){g.googletag.pubads().setTargeting(\"has-featured-video\",\"true\")})}();<\/script><script>var _bp=_bp||[];_bp.push({\"div\":\"Brid_1955379\",\"obj\":{\"id\":\"27789\",\"width\":\"1280\",\"height\":\"720\",\"stickyDirection\":\"below\",\"video\":\"1955379\"}});<\/script><script defer src=\"https:\/\/services.brid.tv\/player\/build\/brid.min.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"tdb-block-inner td-fix-index\"><\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Trump criticizes FEMA, suggesting it should be eliminated<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2542,"featured_media":2395674,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_mo_disable_npp":"","fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/FEMA-October-2024.webp","fifu_image_alt":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[538],"tags":[18818,5894,3634],"class_list":["post-2395673","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-washington-examiner","tag-fema","tag-politics","tag-trump"],"fifu_image_url":"https:\/\/www.washingtonexaminer.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/FEMA-October-2024.webp","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2395673","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2542"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2395673"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2395673\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2395677,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2395673\/revisions\/2395677"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/2395674"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2395673"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2395673"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.conservativenewsdaily.net\/breaking-news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2395673"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}