In a bold move, U.S. President Donald Trump vowed on Friday to sign an executive order to overhaul or eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), expressing a preference for states to receive federal funds directly to manage disasters. This announcement came during his first trip since reclaiming the presidency on Monday, where he accused FEMA of mishandling emergency relief efforts in North Carolina, devastated by flooding from Hurricane Helene in September.
\"FEMA has turned out to be a disaster,\" Trump stated while touring a hurricane-stricken neighborhood with downed trees and boarded-up homes. \"I think we recommend that FEMA go away.\"
Trump's intentions have sparked debate among experts about the feasibility of eliminating FEMA solely through executive action. Rob Verchick, a former Obama administration official at the Environmental Protection Agency and now a professor at Loyola University New Orleans College of Law, noted that while FEMA was created by former President Jimmy Carter via executive order, its roles and funding are determined by Congress. \"Eliminating FEMA would most likely require Congressional action,\" Verchick explained.
FEMA, employing over 20,000 people across the country through its 10 regional offices, is responsible for bringing in emergency personnel, supplies, and equipment to aid in disaster recovery. The agency's funding has significantly increased in recent years due to a rise in extreme weather events.
Previously, FEMA was a target of Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump's second term prepared by his allies but distanced from him during the election. The plan proposed dismantling the Department of Homeland Security and relocating FEMA to the Department of the Interior or the Department of Transportation. It also suggested changing the formula FEMA uses to determine when federal disaster assistance is warranted, shifting the costs of disaster prevention and response to the states.
Trump criticized the prior administration for not doing enough to help western North Carolina recover from Hurricane Helene, an accusation the Biden administration dismissed as misinformation. Democratic U.S. Representative Deborah Ross of North Carolina emphasized FEMA's crucial role in the state's recovery efforts. In a post on X, she said, \"I appreciate President Trump's concern about Western NC, but eliminating FEMA would be a disaster for our state.\"
Following his North Carolina visit, Trump is set to travel to Los Angeles, where recent wildfires have caused widespread destruction, with three massive blazes still posing a threat to the region.
This trip culminates a week in which Trump moved swiftly to fulfill campaign promises on issues including illegal immigration, federal workforce reductions, energy and environmental policies, gender and diversity regulations, and issuing pardons for supporters jailed for the January 6, 2021, attack on the U.S. Capitol.
In a significant development, U.S. military C-17 aircraft began deporting detained migrants on Friday as part of what the White House described as \"the largest massive deportation operation in history.\"
Reference(s):
cgtn.com
