Can states do what FEMA was set up to do?

PRESIDENT TRUMP FIRST POSED THE IDEA OF OVERHAUL-ing the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) while visiting North Carolina in January in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.

- - BY SIMMONE SHAH

The aftermath of Hurricane Helene in Florida last year

“I’d like to see the states take care of disasters, let the state take care of the tornadoes and the hurricanes and all of the other things that happen,” he said. “I think you’re going to find it a lot less expensive.”

One of his first Executive Orders was establishing a council to assess the effectiveness of the disaster-response agency. At the end of April, Trump appointed 13 people—including Texas Governor Greg Abbott and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem—to review FEMA. The group is expected to submit a report to the President within 180 days of its first meeting, according to the Executive Order. The agency has also faced a string of layoffs—including the dismissal of acting director Cameron Hamilton in May—and is expected to run out of money by July.