Trump FEMA Fix: Draining Another Swamp Bureaucracy
President Trump Wants Disaster Recovery in the Hands of the States. Governors Like DeSantis and Abbott Say States Know Best. Is the Pushback Against the Trump FEMA Fix Justified?
NOTE: This piece was first published in FLGulfNews.com.
By Richard Luthmann
Florida. North Carolina. California. Now Kentucky.
States and regions in America experience natural disasters that require emergency preparedness, response, and recovery.
President Donald J. Trump has shown he is up to the task.
At the same time, President Trump has declared war on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the bloated, incompetent, and wasteful federal agency currently responsible for delivering emergency preparedness, response, and recovery assistance.
FEMA has been synonymous with bureaucratic red tape, slow disaster response, and massive financial waste for decades.
President Trump has signed an executive order to overhaul FEMA or, as he put it, “maybe get rid of it” altogether.
“We have states for a reason,” President Trump said during a visit to hurricane-ravaged North Carolina. “I like the concept that when North Carolina gets hit, the governor takes care of it. When Florida gets hit, the governor takes care of it. FEMA has turned out to be a disaster. I think we recommend that FEMA go away.”
President Trump has tasked Elon Musk and the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) with rooting out FEMA waste, fraud, and abuse. They have already uncovered staggering levels of corruption and diverted funds not used for their intended purpose.
One of the biggest scandals? $80 million in FEMA funds being used to house illegal migrants in luxury hotels in New York City.
The American people are looking for a Trump FEMA fix.
FEMA’S HISTORY OF FAILURE
FEMA has been a disaster itself for decades. Created in 1979 by executive order under President Jimmy Carter, FEMA was supposed to coordinate federal disaster response.
Instead, it has become a symbol of inefficiency, waste, and incompetence.
Hurricane Katrina (2005) – FEMA’s slow and ineffective response to the catastrophe in New Orleans left thousands stranded without food, water, or shelter.
Superstorm Sandy (2012) – FEMA’s disaster relief efforts were plagued by red tape, leaving storm victims waiting months for aid.
Hurricane Maria (2017) – The agency botched aid distribution in Puerto Rico, leading to unnecessary suffering and death.
Under the Biden administration, FEMA only got worse. Millions meant for disaster victims were funneled into social programs and border crisis management.
Now, Democrats and bureaucrats are panicking because President Trump is exposing FEMA’s corruption and incompetence.
FEMA POLICY DEFENDERS
Despite its well-documented failures, Democrats are rallying to protect FEMA. Vermont State Senator Anne Watson called FEMA “an absolute lifesaver,” claiming that eliminating it would leave “millions and millions of Americans in a very vulnerable position.”
Meanwhile, FEMA defenders insist that the agency provides economies of scale and resources that states can’t replicate.
Jeff Le is a principal at 100 Mile Strategies, a public sector and technology policy consultancy. He was the former Deputy Cabinet Secretary for the State of California under Jerry Brown, responsible for emergency management, homeland security, emerging tech, and revenue and tax portfolios.
He was also the state’s coordinator with the first Trump Administration in 2018.
Le believes federal FEMA support is crucial for emergency preparedness.
“The regional FEMA team works closely with county, city, and state officials to help get impacted community members to shelter. In my experience with wildfires in affluent areas like Napa and Sonoma, FEMA is working with limited accommodation options,” Le said.
Le believes that the concerns about waste are secondary to the primary mission of emergency preparedness.
“From my experience, it’s less about graft or waste. It’s about getting community members to safety and stability quickly,” Le said.
Le may have a point, which is why President Trump’s executive order on FEMA tasks a study in all aspects of disaster preparedness, response, and recovery.
Does the federal government necessarily have to provide resources for emergency response and disaster recovery? Governors like Ron DeSantis in Florida, Greg Abbott in Texas, and Kristi Noem in South Dakota before she became Secretary of Homeland Security have built some of the world’s most effective emergency response teams.
While the detailed question is still being studied and debated, Florida’s DeSantis fully supports President Trump’s outline.
“Cut the bureaucracy of FEMA out entirely,” DeSantis said. “That money will go further than it currently does when it gets lost in FEMA’s bureaucracy.”
DOGE UNCOVERS MASSIVE WASTE, FRAUD, AND ABUSE
Elon Musk’s DOGE team has exposed shocking examples of FEMA waste:
$80 million was sent to house illegal migrants in luxury NYC hotels instead of aiding American disaster victims.
Millions wasted on unnecessary “diversity training” for FEMA staff while disaster victims waited for help.
Millions were funneled into failed solar panel projects that did not impact disaster relief.
Musk has been blunt: “FEMA is a disaster. The American taxpayer is being robbed blind.”
TRUMP: LET THE STATES HANDLE DISASTER RESPONSE
President Trump has made it clear that the states are more than capable of handling their own disaster response efforts.
The federal government will still provide financial support. However, the Trump FEMA fix will direct that money to state emergency management teams rather than funnel it through a slow, inefficient bureaucracy.
“We don’t need a group of people coming in from an area that doesn’t even know where they’re going,” Trump said. “A governor can handle something very quickly. They know their states, they know the people, and they know what they need.”
THE SWAMP FIGHTS BACK
Of course, the Washington swamp isn’t going down without a fight. Democrats, bureaucrats, and even some establishment Republicans are panicking at the thought of losing FEMA’s multi-billion-dollar slush fund.
Craig Fugate, a former FEMA administrator under Barack Obama and creator of the “Waffle House Index,” warned that eliminating FEMA could “cripple” disaster response efforts.
However, critics say this is the same bureaucrat who presided over FEMA’s failed responses to multiple hurricanes.
Even Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer weighed in, calling Trump’s proposed FEMA overhaul “reckless” while refusing to acknowledge the agency’s decades of failure. Corrupt Chuck is currently under federal investigation.
THE NEW AMERICAN GOLDEN AGE: STATES IN CHARGE, NO MORE WASTE
President Trump is delivering on his promise to drain the swamp, and FEMA is just the latest target. By shifting disaster response back to the states, the Trump FEMA fix ensures that American tax dollars are spent wisely and disaster victims get the help they need faster.
“This is about putting America First,” President Trump declared. “We will cut the waste, destroy the corruption, and Make America Great Again.”
The New American Golden Age is here, and the Washington swamp is terrified. With Musk and DOGE leading the charge, President Trump again proves he is the greatest president since Ronald Reagan—and maybe even greater.
America is WINNING again.