During his visit to North Carolina on Friday, President Donald Trump raised the possibility of eliminating the Federal Emergency Management Agency. “I’ll be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA or maybe getting rid of FEMA,” he stated. “I think, frankly, FEMA is not good.”
The president emphasized that states should take a leading role in handling disaster responses. “FEMA has been a very big disappointment. They cost a tremendous amount of money. It’s very bureaucratic, and it’s very slow. Other than that, we’re very happy with them,” he quipped, drawing laughter from the crowd. “I think that when there’s a problem with the state, I think that that problem should be taken care of by the state.”

When questioned about when such an order could take effect, Trump avoided giving a specific timeline, saying only that it “going to be a period of time.”
Trump has often criticized the federal response to Hurricane Helene in the Southeast and Appalachia, as well as the wildfires in Southern California, even mentioning these failures during his inaugural address earlier in the week.
Given that FEMA’s existence is codified in law, it remains unclear whether Trump would have the authority to unilaterally restructure the agency.
The president also noted that Michael Whatley, the chairman of the Republican National Committee who accompanied Trump on the trip, would be tasked with overseeing the success of the plan. “I’ll put Michael Whatley in charge of making sure everything goes well,” Trump said.
When asked whether Whatley’s responsibilities would fall inside or outside FEMA, Trump replied that Whatley could take “any role he wants.”
Whatley, who previously served as the chairman of the North Carolina Republican Party and has worked for various Republican officials, does not appear to have any direct experience in disaster management according to his LinkedIn profile.
Gov. Kristi Noem, the South Dakota Republican who has been nominated to lead the Department of Homeland Security, stated during her confirmation hearing on January 17 that FEMA “failed miserably” in its response to Hurricane Helene.
By October 29, 2024, about $2.3 billion had been approved for direct aid, debris removal, and emergency protective actions related to Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Over 1,400 FEMA personnel were deployed to the affected areas.
While responding to Hurricane Helene, FEMA temporarily halted door-to-door canvassing after online threats of violence were made against federal responders, fueled by misinformation about the agency’s relief efforts. A man was arrested in North Carolina for making threats against federal workers.
Additionally, FEMA removed a supervisor who instructed staff to skip homes that visibly supported Trump in Florida. The agency has since initiated an internal investigation into the matter.
A Gallup survey from 2023 showed that 49% of Americans rated FEMA’s performance as excellent or good, marking one of the highest approval ratings in the survey.
{Matzav.com}