In a recent appearance on Fox Business, Florida's Republican Representative Byron Donalds expressed his dissatisfaction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), calling for a significant restructuring of the organization.
Donalds criticized FEMA's bureaucratic delays and proposed a solution to improve the agency's efficiency.
Donalds stated, Well, I think that what needs to happen is you got to get it out of Homeland Security. Thats why I filed the bill with Jared Moskowitz out of Florida to do just that. Get it out of Homeland and out of that bureaucracy. Have it be a direct report agency to the White House. So the president working with the governor in that particular state can get real-time decisions occurring so people can get back on their feet. According to the Daily Caller, Donalds' proposal aims to streamline the decision-making process by making FEMA directly accountable to the White House, thereby bypassing the red tape of Homeland Security.
The Florida congressman did not mince words in his critique of FEMA's performance, citing unresolved claims from hurricanes dating back to Katrina. He pointed out that states like North Carolina and Florida continue to grapple with disaster recovery efforts long after the storms have passed. Donalds said, Look, FEMAs failures have been reported on for, frankly, over a decade. The secretary said Katrina claims are still outstanding. I can tell you Hurricane Ian claims are still outstanding. And we havent even gotten to Helene and Milton from last year. North Carolina still has a lot of recovery work to do. Obviously, Florida is still doing recovery work. A lot of this disaster recovery really falls on governors.
Donalds lauded the efforts of Republican Florida Governor Ron DeSantis in leading the recovery efforts in Florida. However, he cautioned that even the most effective state-level responses are hindered by FEMA's inefficiency. He said, Governor DeSantis in our state has done a tremendous job with that. Other governors, not so much. But FEMA needs to be an action agency, not the bureaucratic agency it has become. It needs real reforms. So, to quote the secretary, as it exists today, FEMA needs to end. This is why the president and his team are going through the process of reforming FEMA, creating a new agency that can be responsive to the American people.
Earlier this year, President Trump initiated steps to reform FEMA and delegate more disaster response authority to states. He signed an executive order instructing federal agencies to prioritize state-level preparedness and abandon the broad all-hazards approach. Trump has previously criticized FEMA as a disaster and a very big disappointment.
FEMA has faced considerable criticism following Hurricanes Helene and Milton, with reports suggesting that some agency staff were instructed to avoid aiding homes displaying pro-Trump signs. Furthermore, the agency's disaster preparedness has been called into question, with FEMA failing to respond to nearly half of the 900,000 calls it received from survivors in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Milton. Amidst these challenges, the Trump administration has begun a significant overhaul of the agency, dismissing four FEMA employees and removing terms like climate change and DEI from official documents.
The proposed reforms to FEMA underscore the importance of efficient and effective disaster response. As Donalds suggests, a streamlined, action-oriented agency could better serve the American people in times of crisis. The ongoing efforts to reform FEMA reflect a commitment to improving disaster preparedness and response, ensuring that aid reaches those who need it most.
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