On Wednesday, President Donald J. Trump announced his plans to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). During a meeting in the Oval Office, Trump and his Homeland Security Secretary confirmed that following the 2025 hurricane season, the agency would be eliminated, with some of its function falling to states and others being transferred to the Department of Homeland Security.
“What the President does best is to make sure that the taxpayers are only fulfilling the need which is appropriate and that people are responsible to respond to their own people closest to home,” Noem said.
“If a certain state, as an example, gets hit by a hurricane – that’s what a governor, you know, a governor should be able to handle. And frankly, if they can’t handle the aftermath, then maybe they shouldn’t be governor,” Trump said.
While Gov. Jeff Landry did not issue a statement on Trump’s plan, it may not have been a surprise. In March, Landry announced he would restructure the state’s Office of Homeland Security and Emergency Preparedness and place it under control of the National Guard. Landry said the move was necessary to cut wasteful government spending – a theme that was echoed by Trump on Wednesday.
Interestingly, Mark Cooper, a native Louisianian who served as director of Homeland Security under Gov. Bobby Jindal and chief of staff for Gov. John Bel Edwards was appointed by Trump to a panel charged with crafting a plan to eliminate FEMA. Cooper told USA Today that although he believes FEMA has become too bureaucratic at the top in Washington, he still supports FEMA.
“Disasters are becoming more frequent, challenging and complex at the national level,” Cooper said. “FEMA has grown much bigger and more bureaucratic in many of the important programs they administer. And despite this, I’m a big supporter of the FEMA and FEMA regional offices.”
Cooper also said that Louisiana and other states are not ready to take on the responsibility that would come with emergency response.
“[Trump’s] quick to hand out tax breaks to his billionaire friends, but when it comes to allowing FEMA to support families who have lost everything, he wants the federal government to be MIA. We who have lived through Katrina know what happens when a state is left to handle a hurricane alone,” said Rep. Troy Carter. “What’s going to happen is people are going to die, people are going to lose their properties, people are going to suffer.”
Louisiana is one of the states who would be hit hardest by any reductions in federal relief funding response, according to the Carnegie Disaster Dollar Database. From 2015 to 2024, Louisiana received an average of $1.4 billion annually in FEMA and HUD relief funding. That’s equal to around 6.3% of the state’s $21.9 billion in overall spending in fiscal year 2023.
House Majority Leader Steve Scalise issued a statement also pushing against elimination, though he does support reform. “For years, I’ve heard from Louisiana families, small businesses, and local officials who are frustrated with how FEMA delivers disaster relief and especially how poorly they’ve run the National Flood Insurance Program. Louisiana knows all too well how badly FEMA needs serious reform, and we are all looking at ways to further empower local and state leaders who are in a better position to react faster when disasters strike and people need help.” Earlier this month, Sens. Bill Cassidy and John Kennedy pushed for FEMA to end the Risk Rating 2.0 program, which they said increased premiums under the National Flood Insurance Program.
The City of New Orleans has expressed concern over Trump’s plan.
“It’s difficult to accurately assess what the full impact of these changes would mean for the City of New Orleans, without additional details. Preparing for and dealing with disasters is a year-round operation, especially in New Orleans.
Before disasters hit, the City educates residents and trains City employees, including public safety agencies, on how to prepare. During the disaster, resources are coordinated to help residents; however, massive disasters can overwhelm the process. When that happens, the City depends heavily on federal funding to help bring in additional resources needed to sustain the community with potential loss of power, water, and access to grocery stores or pharmacies.
Additionally, the City coordinates the recovery phase. A timely recovery reduces suffering and is essential for cities to regain business productivity and subsequent revenue production. The success of that initial recovery is highly dependent on federal funding.
The City hopes that there is a clear, strategic plan in place heavily dependent on external to provide crucial funding to impacted cities, parishes, and counties following the absence of FEMA. Local government is small and depends heavily on assistance elements.
The City of New Orleans will adapt and remain confident in the City’s state partners. The Administration will work closely with them to ensure that the City is prepared to respond to needs when they arise.”
