Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has publicly stated her support for a reorientation or complete elimination of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). In March, during a televised Cabinet meeting, Secretary Noem was quoted as saying, “We are eliminating FEMA.”
However, according to sources familiar with the situation who spoke to NBC News, Secretary Noem has been quietly working behind the scenes to ensure the retention of key FEMA employees and to expedite the approval of disaster recovery reimbursements to states previously affected by disasters, particularly as the hurricane season approaches.
President Trump himself had also discussed the possibility of “getting rid of” FEMA shortly after his second inauguration, during a visit to North Carolina to assess damage from Hurricane Helene. While there has been no public indication of a shift in the administration’s stance, including from Secretary Noem, there are reports of internal recognition of the need to maintain essential elements and operations of FEMA, at least temporarily, due to the absence of a fully developed alternative plan.
Internal documents reviewed by NBC News reveal that on May 19th, Secretary Noem approved a request from the newly appointed acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson to retain 2,652 employees whose term expirations were scheduled between April and December. These employees are part of FEMA’s Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees (CORE) group, a workforce hired for specific two- to four-year periods. Their departure this year would have significantly depleted FEMA’s workforce during the crucial hurricane season. According to a Government Accountability Office report, FEMA had a total of 8,802 CORE employees in fiscal year 2022. A FEMA employee indicated to NBC News that the workforce was surprised and pleased by Secretary Noem’s decision to retain CORE employees for the hurricane season, given the administration’s previous moves to cut these positions.
Coinciding with FEMA’s efforts to retain key personnel, the White House reportedly approved disaster recovery reimbursement requests from ten states in the same week. These approvals, some of which had been delayed for months, represent 20% of all such approvals during President Trump’s second term, according to publicly available FEMA disaster approval data. Three sources familiar with Secretary Noem’s recent actions suggest that she has taken a more prominent role than her predecessors in urging the White House to support FEMA and reimburse states.
By law, state and local governments are entitled to a 75% reimbursement from the federal government for disaster-related costs. Any amount exceeding this is determined by a pre-established formula or, if the formulaic requirements are not met, by the president. Historically, the White House typically approved reimbursements deemed appropriate by FEMA officials based on these formulas, with the Secretary of Homeland Security largely serving a procedural role, according to two sources familiar with the disaster approval process. However, with the White House advocating for a reduced role for FEMA and encouraging greater state self-reliance, at least as of last week, the White House had reportedly pushed back against FEMA’s recommendations on multiple occasions, prompting Secretary Noem’s direct involvement, according to one source.
In response to a request for comment on this article, Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson, issued a statement to NBC News: “This is a sad attempt by the mainstream media to drive a false narrative that there is daylight between President Trump and Secretary Noem. To the media’s chagrin, there’s not. Secretary Noem has been implementing President Trump’s vision for the future of FEMA to shift it away from a bloated, DC-centric bureaucracy that has let down the American people.”
Michael Coen, former chief of staff at FEMA during the Biden administration, pointed out that because previous administrations generally approved FEMA-recommended reimbursements, states may lack the immediate financial capacity to fully shoulder disaster costs without prior long-term planning. He suggested that for some states, covering these costs could require significant measures like issuing bonds or increasing tax revenue, potentially amounting to twice their annual budget.
While CORE employees are being retained, a significant number of FEMA’s senior executives have reportedly left the agency this year, largely voluntarily. This exodus has raised concerns within FEMA, among external observers, and with members of Congress regarding the agency’s preparedness for the upcoming hurricane season. An internal email last week announced the departure of sixteen senior officials with a combined 228 years of experience at FEMA. Additionally, the acting FEMA chief of staff, who is also slated to resign, announced four more senior executive departures in an email on Wednesday. A FEMA employee likened the situation to a relay team with fewer members, capable of completing the race but with each remaining member having to exert more effort than initially planned.
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