FEMA's existence under threat as Trump proposes elimination

President Donald Trump said he was considering "getting rid of FEMA" when visiting hurricane-ravaged North Carolina on Friday, his first trip of the second administration.

The remark, delivered at a briefing on the months-long recovery from Hurricane Helene, was the latest indication that Trump is proposing major changes to the federal government's involvement in disaster management.

"FEMA has been a very big disappointment," Trump said. "It's very bureaucratic. And it's very slow."

Chip Somodevilla/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

"FEMA has been a very big disappointment," stated the Republican president. "It's quite bureaucratic. And it's quite sluggish. Apart than that, we're quite pleased with them."

Trump, who intended to visit wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles later in the day, said he was considering issuing an executive order governing the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"I'd like to see the states take care of disasters," he said after landing in Asheville. "Let the state take care of the tornadoes and the hurricanes and all of the other things that happen."

Trump said that would be faster than sending in FEMA.

"FEMA just hasn't done its job," the president said. "We're looking at the whole concept of FEMA."

When local officials request a presidential emergency declaration, indicating that the damage is too great for the state to handle alone, the agency assists in disaster response. FEMA can compensate municipalities for recovery measures like as debris clearance and provide emergency financial assistance to individual residents. Some of Trump's conservative friends have suggested lowering the amount of money the agency should grant.

Trump chastised former President Joe Biden over his administration's reaction to Hurricane Helene in North Carolina. As he exited the White House on Friday morning, he told reporters that "it's been a horrible thing the way that's been allowed to fester" since the hurricane hit in September, but "we're going to get it fixed up."

Trump will be briefed on recovery operations before traveling to a tiny community outside Asheville to meet with folks assisted by Samaritan's Purse, a humanitarian group led by Christian leader Franklin Graham.

Once in California, Trump intends to visit the Pacific Palisades district, where rows of homes have been burned down. He expects to be briefed on the continuing flames, which have forced thousands of people to evacuate.

Trump has slammed California authorities for water policy that he wrongly claimed exacerbated the latest wildfires. He said that he would "take a look at a fire that could have been put out if they let the water flow, but they didn't let the water flow."

Members of Congress will attend the briefing, which might get controversial. Trump has proposed using federal disaster relief as a negotiating tool in unrelated legislative debates over government borrowing, or as pressure to push California to change its water policies.

"Playing politics with people's livelihoods is unacceptable and a slap in the face to the Southern California wildfire victims and our brave first responders," Rep. Young Kim, a Republican from Orange County, south of Los Angeles, said in a recent statement.

Trump has a history of bringing politics and misinformation into disaster response. According to former administration officials, during his first term, Obama discussed restricting aid to Democratic states that did not support him. While running for president last year, he claimed without proof that Democrats were "going out of their way not to help people in Republican areas" of North Carolina, a battleground state.

He has also been working on California water policy, notably fish conservation initiatives in the state's northern region.

"I don't think we should give California anything until they let the water run down," Trump said Wednesday during an interview with Sean Hannity of Fox News Channel.

The president also urged that individual states take on more responsibility for disaster management.

"I'd rather see the states take care of their own problems," he told Hannity. "FEMA is getting in the way of everything."

Michael Coen, who was chief of staff at FEMA during the Biden administration, said Trump was "misinformed" about an organization that assists states when they are swamped by disasters.

In addition, Coen opposed the concept of tying strings to help.

"You're going to pick winners and losers on which communities are going to be supported by the federal government," according to him. "I think the American people expect the federal government will be there for them on their worst day, no matter where they live."

During his previous presidency, Trump visited various catastrophe zones, including the aftermaths of hurricanes and tornadoes. He drew flak for throwing paper towels to Hurricane Maria evacuees in Puerto Rico.

"If you're a disaster survivor, no matter who you voted for, it's always good when the president comes to town," said Pete Gaynor, who led FEMA during Trump's first term from 2019 to 2021. "You can see him and hopefully talk to him about what you need in your community."

Laurie Carpenter, a 62-year-old retiree from Newland, North Carolina, said she is looking forward to Trump's visit because she has been unhappy with the federal reaction. She claims there is still wreckage and rubbish strewn over her portion of the state months after Hurricane Helene.

"If anybody's going to do something about it, I think he will," Carpenter said.

Trump appointed Cameron Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL with no expertise managing natural disasters, as FEMA's interim head. He also stated that individual states, rather than FEMA, should be in charge of coordinating natural disaster response, with the federal government only stepping in to offer financing later.

Before leaving office, Biden promised that the federal government will cover all expenses associated with responding to the flames in the Los Angeles area, which might become one of the most expensive natural disasters in US history. However, that promise will not be honored unless Congress provides additional cash.

Friday's trip might spark unpleasant discussions on climate change, which Trump has downplayed and rejected. Both Hurricane Helene and the Los Angeles flames were aggravated by global warming.

In Helene's example, worldwide climate scientists at World Weather Attribution discovered that climate change increased the storm's rainfall by 10%. California experienced a record dry autumn and winter – its regular wet season — making the Los Angeles area more prone to wildfires.

"This is just breaking our comfort zone of what is supposed to be normal," said Amanda Stasiewicz, a University of Oregon researcher.

After touring North Carolina and California, Trump plans to address a rally in Las Vegas on Saturday. Advisers said he will provide specifics on maintaining a campaign pledge to exclude gratuities from federal taxes, while also celebrating his upset victory in Nevada on Election Day.

"I'm going to Nevada to thank them," Trump announced. He was the first Republican to win the state since 2004, when George W. Bush defeated John Kerry.

The hospitality and service sectors drive Las Vegas' 24-hour economy, with gratuities paid to everyone from restaurant servers to valet parkers to hotel cleaners. However, exempting them from taxes would be difficult to achieve and would require a Congressional legislation to make permanent. FA