DHS Secretary Kristi Noem revealed her plans in a recent Cabinet meeting to “eliminate FEMA.” Meanwhile, two legislators on Capitol Hill sponsored legislation to separate FEMA from the DHS and turn it into an “independent, Cabinet-level agency.” With seemingly contradictory plans coming out of Washington, what’s going to happen to this agency?

From Government Executive. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said during Monday’s Cabinet meeting that the Federal Emergency Management Agency would be eliminated. At about the same time, in contrast, a bipartisan pair of lawmakers introduced legislation to separate FEMA from its parent department.

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Noem’s brief mention of FEMA came during her discussion of various DHS operations, of which the disaster management agency is a component. After detailing ongoing immigration enforcement efforts at the southern border and developing Coast Guard operations, the secretary concluded her remarks by noting that “we’re going to eliminate FEMA.” …

On Capitol Hill, a bipartisan House duo sponsored legislation that would turn FEMA into an independent, Cabinet-level agency.

The bill comes from Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., who formerly served as director of emergency management in his home state, and Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla. …

“As these emergencies continue to grow larger and more widespread, the American people deserve a federal response that is efficient and fast. To achieve that, FEMA should be reformed,” Moskowitz said in a statement. “FEMA currently sits under the bureaucracy of [DHS] — and with around 20 other agencies and offices under that umbrella, the set-up simply doesn’t work. DHS has become too big and too slow to oversee what needs to be a quick and flexible emergency response.”

Likewise, Donalds said in a statement that FEMA should report directly to the president, as it has become “overly-bureaucratic, overly-politicized [and] overly-inefficient.”

Under the bill, the president would appoint, pending Senate confirmation, a director for FEMA and up to four deputy directors. …

The measure also would maintain FEMA’s 10 regional offices and give the agency its own inspector general.

FEMA’s fate has been an open question since a January visit to North Carolina where Trump said, while touring destruction caused by Hurricane Helene, that he was considering getting rid of the agency. The president suggested that states should play a more significant role in disaster response.

What do you think should happen to FEMA? Share your thoughts and prayers below.

(Excerpt from Government Executive. Photo Credit: Matt Johnson from Omaha, Nebraska, United States – IMG_5665, CC BY 2.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=95945154)