A Trump administration panel tasked with reviewing the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s portfolio has unveiled its full plan to shift the brunt of the responsibility for disaster response to state and local governments.
In its plan, the Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council called for a major overhaul of disaster response: making it more difficult for states to qualify for federal aid, consolidating federal assistance for individuals into one payment program, and emphasizing that state and local authorities should be taking the lead role after natural disasters. Several of the changes it calls for would require Congress to act.
The FEMA Review Council’s final report comes after months of delay: It was initially expected to release its report in December before the council’s meeting was abruptly canceled.