Can President Trump Get Rid of FEMA? What We Know

President Donald Trump suggested in late January 225 that he was considering “getting rid of” FEMA (Federal Emergency Management Agency) after visiting disaster zones in California and North Carolina.

“I think, frankly, FEMA is not good,” Trump said in January 2025 in Fletcher, North Carolina. “FEMA has really let us down, let the country down. And I don’t know if that’s [Joe] Biden’s fault or whose fault it is, but we’re going to take over it. We’re going to do a good job.”

Trump: "I'll also be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA or maybe getting rid of FEMA. I think, frankly, FEMA is not good. I think when you have a problem like this, I think you want to use your state to fix it and not… pic.twitter.com/SkLqsj8bQ7

— Aaron Rupar (@atrupar) January 24, 2025

With the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), a nongovernmental entity, the Trump administration has been executing large-scale reductions in the federal workforce. Additionally, on March 24, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem announced plans to “eliminate” FEMA during a televised Cabinet meeting.

Find out more below.

What Does FEMA Do?

The agency was designed to help the United States prepare for and recover from various natural disasters. FEMA works with local governments to help those who were impacted by a disaster, such as losing a home in a wildfire or a hurricane.

FEMA only steps into a local situation when a state makes a formal request to the government for federal aid or when the natural disaster overwhelms local officials’ abilities. The president must then sign a declaration affirming that the area would receive assistance.

FEMA is part of the Department of Homeland Security and relies on an annual operating budget and disaster relief fund, both of which Congress must replenish each year to support states in disaster recovery and preparedness efforts.

Can Trump Get Rid of FEMA?

President Trump does not have the unilateral authority to eliminate FEMA, according to current federal laws.

While the president can propose budget cuts or changes to agencies, the ultimate authority to pass laws—such as those that could reorganize or even eliminate FEMA—lies with Congress. To achieve such a change, Trump would need support from lawmakers, but both Republican and Democratic lawmakers have traditionally backed FEMA.

Trump has also expressed support for limiting the federal government’s role in disaster response, a sentiment he reiterated to reporters in January.

“I’d like to see the states take care of disasters,” he said in North Carolina. “Let the state take care of the tornadoes and the hurricanes and all of the other things that happen.”

“You want to use your state to fix it and not waste time calling FEMA. And then FEMA gets here and they don’t know the area. They’ve never been to the area, and they want to give you rules that you’ve never heard about. They want to bring people that aren’t as good as the people you already have. And FEMA has turned out to be a disaster.”

With Noem now heading the DHS, which oversees FEMA, there is a possibility that Trump’s goal of completely eliminating the agency could become a reality. However, she has not yet revealed her specific plans for achieving this.