Public Comments: FEMA Review Council Request for Information
The NC Budget & Tax Center believes that no matter who someone is or where they live, when disaster strikes our government should have the resources, tools, and systems in place to quickly respond and help families, businesses, and communities recover.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is the face of disaster recovery for survivors, offering assistance directly to homeowners, landlords, and to a lesser extent renters. The FEMA Public Assistance (FEMA-PA) Program also provides direct support to state and local governments for activities like debris removal, road and bridge repair, and water and utilities restoration.
Following Hurricane Helene and other recent disasters, President Donald J. Trump alleged that FEMA is guilty of serious political bias, bureaucratic inefficiency, and general incompetence. According to the President, this is why so many disaster survivors have not received the life-saving aid they need.
On Jan 24, 2025, President Trump issued Executive Order 14180, which established the FEMA Review Council. The council is composed entirely of members appointed by the President, who serve at his discretion. The stated purpose of the council is to assess the adequacy of FEMA’s response to disasters during the previous 4 years and determine what changes are needed to FEMA, including whether disaster recovery might be better carried out by the states.
On March 26, 2025, the FEMA Review Council issued a request for information (RFI) from the public and other interested stakeholders about experiences with FEMA during disasters. The NC Budget & Tax Center provided comments in response to the RFI.
Our comments emphasize that while our nation’s disaster response and recovery system is broken and in need of major, comprehensive reform, what FEMA needs to be effective is more funding and more staff, not less, and FEMA certainly should not be dismantled. Dismantling FEMA would unnecessarily risk the lives and welfare of disaster survivors when they are most in need and make it even more difficult to rebuild after future disasters. Our comments are therefore intended to strengthen FEMA and help ensure that we can meet the needs of all survivors following a disaster and rebuild equitably and inclusively.
