A draft of a much-anticipated report on reforms to the Federal Emergency Management Agency has been whittled down in size, with recommendations compiled by a council appointed by the president slashed and amended by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s office, according to three people familiar with the developments.
The report “got nuked,” said one former FEMA official. The three people, who spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity to discuss the issue with the media, said the report shrunk from over 160 pages to roughly 20. They said it left council members and other emergency management leaders concerned that some of the recommendations about the country’s disaster preparedness won’t make it into the final copy, which is expected around Dec. 12.
The draft report’s downsizing reflects the Trump administration’s push to disengage the federal government from disaster management and the agency overseeing it, FEMA, pushing more responsibility for preparing, responding to, and recovering from climate on states, tribes, and territories.
The former officials said that cutting some of the original recommendations and adding others that further diminish FEMA will not only show that the administration is intervening politically in a professional undertaking. They said the changed recommendations could ultimately leave states and other governments unequipped to prepare for or recover from disasters.
Those who oppose shrinking FEMA say most state and local governments can’t take on more of the enormous financial and logistical strains of rebuilding, especially as the frequency and severity of extreme weather wrought by climate change grows, and that FEMA plays a key coordinating role, shepherding help from across the federal government.
DHS did not immediately respond to requests for comment. Asked about the status of the report, White House spokeswoman Abigail Jackson said the review council will recommend to President Donald Trump how FEMA may be reformed “such that the Federal role remains supplemental and appropriate to the scale of disaster,” and that “Secretary Noem is working hard to implement the President’s vision that will best serve the American public.”
The council, appointed by Trump and made up almost exclusively by members from Republican-led states who support significant FEMA reforms, finished a draft report in early November of over 160 pages. A table of contents obtained by the AP showed the initial draft included nine “key principles,” including reforming public assistance, flood insurance, direct assistance to survivors, and improving rural resilience.
After submitting the draft in early November to DHS for comment and approval, council members learned Noem’s office cut the report to around 20 pages, the former officials said.
Many of the expected recommendations would require action by Congress because the 1988 Stafford Act lays out most of FEMA’s responsibilities. Other changes could be implemented by Trump or the FEMA administrator.
