Trump wants states to pay more after disasters like the LA wildfires. Here’s how FEMA works now

US President Donald Trump headed to hurricane-ravaged western North Carolina and fire-ravaged Los Angeles on Friday after lashing out at California leaders over water policies he falsely claimed had worsened recent wildfires.

Trump told Fox News earlier this week that he was considering an overhaul of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), created during President Jimmy Carter’s tenure in 1980. In North Carolina on Friday, he went a step further, saying, “We’re going to recommend that FEMA go. “

“It’s very bureaucratic. And it’s very slow. Other than that, we’re very happy with them,” Trump said in North Carolina.

He also said he would sign an executive order aimed at fixing what he said were problems inherent in FEMA, even though the agency was created by an act of Congress, meaning it cannot be abolished with the stroke of a pen.

“Absolutely crazy,” Democratic House member Pramila Jayapal said on social media. “FEMA rebuilds communities and saves lives.”

FEMA has come under fire before — most notably during Hurricane Katrina in 2005 — but Trump is seeking to shift the costs of disaster prevention and response so that states shoulder more of the burden.

President Joe Biden promised before leaving office that the federal government would cover all the costs of responding to the wildfires around Los Angeles, which could end up being the costliest natural disaster in US history. Global analytics firm Verisk expects insured property losses from the Palisades and Eaton fires, the two largest fires this month, to range from US$28 billion to US$35 billion.

Also, Biden signed an appropriations bill that went into effect last year that added $100 billion to the federal disaster relief fund.

For its part, California on Thursday under Democratic Gov. Gavin Newsom passed an aid package spending $2.5 billion to help the Los Angeles area recover.

Trump also suggested using federal disaster aid as a bargaining chip during unrelated legislative talks over state borrowing or as leverage to persuade California to change some policies.

Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson largely echoed that view, saying aid should be tied to “conditions” related to forest and water management.

Some Republicans in the California House of Representatives rejected the idea.

“Political playing with people’s lives is unacceptable and is hurting the victims of the Southern California wildfires and our brave first responders,” Republican Rep. Young Kim, whose narrowly divided district is anchored in Orange County, southeast of Los Angeles, said in a statement.

What FEMA is not

Experts point out that FEMA is not in charge of the entire recovery process.

“Everybody thinks that FEMA just comes in right after a disaster and starts managing the whole disaster. And that’s just not the case,” said Brock Long, FEMA administrator from 2017 to 2019.

When there is a warning — as with a hurricane — FEMA coordinates with state and local governments about needs and can pre-position supplies like water or tarps to areas likely to be hit the hardest. FEMA also has its own search and rescue teams to send.

It’s also not possible, given how many people in the U.S. are affected by floods, hurricanes, tornadoes, and wildfires in a given year, to fully address an individual’s misfortune. There are limits on both emergency assistance and FEMA rebuilding assistance for those who do not have sufficient home insurance.

“FEMA doesn’t make anyone sane after a disaster happens,” said Samantha L. Montano, assistant professor of crisis management at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. “They won’t give you enough money to fully recover your life.”

Depending on the type of disaster, the agency is also not necessarily the only source of potential assistance, according to the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. About half a dozen departments have grant programs to help with disaster recovery, including the departments of agriculture, transportation, and health and human services.

What does FEMA do?

FEMA has an operating budget and a disaster relief fund.

The fund is basically the government’s emergency checkbook. The government uses it to reimburse states and local governments for activities such as debris removal, road reconstruction or firefighter overtime costs.

At the individual level, FEMA can send payments of $750 to people for immediate needs like clothing and food. Later in the recovery process, it can provide up to $42,500 for some uninsured homeowners to rebuild.

The federal government doesn’t help with every disaster — it generally has to be beyond the capacity of the community or state to handle. In that case, the governor or tribal authority asks the president for an urgent proclamation.

The challenges of FEMA

There are concerns about FEMA’s long-term funding.

The disaster relief fund sometimes runs out in late summer — which is usually when the Atlantic hurricane season begins — before Congress passes a new budget, and it’s not uncommon for the agency to submit what’s called “supplemental” funding.

The Congressional Budget Office’s 2022 report says most of what goes into the disaster relief fund actually comes in these requests. The report notes that “a small number of these disasters account for a disproportionate share of total spending.”

When the disaster fund runs out, FEMA switches to what’s called “emergency funding.” That means the agency stops paying for previous disasters and keeps its money for life-saving missions during all active ones. When the disaster relief fund is full, then the money flows back into longer-term projects.

“Frankly, a lot of work needs to be done to streamline it and think, ‘How can the disaster relief fund be … set up in a way that the FEMA administrator doesn’t have to keep asking for additional funds?’ Dugi said.

What Trump might do

Trump named Cameron Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL and unsuccessful Republican congressional candidate from Virginia, as interim administrator of the agency. Hamilton previously worked on emergency management issues for the Department of Homeland Security and the Department of State, but has limited experience dealing with natural disasters.

Project 2025, a conservative blueprint for Trump’s second term prepared by the president’s allies, included dramatic proposals for FEMA, including moving it to the Department of Interior or Department of Transportation, instead of Homeland Security.

Another proposal was to cap the federal reimbursement rate for minor disasters at 25 percent of costs, and at 75 percent for major ones. Presidents can currently approve 100 percent reimbursement of some expenses.

Trump has played down the importance of climate change and it is questionable whether that view will change in the next four years, even though both Hurricane Helene and the Los Angeles wildfires have been exacerbated by global warming, according to experts.

In the case of Helena, a study by international climate scientists at World Weather Attribution found that climate change increased rainfall during the storm by 10 percent.

In California, the state endured a record-dry fall and winter — its traditional rainy season — making the area around Los Angeles more vulnerable to wildfires.

In his first term, Trump was accused of politicizing disasters. According to a recent series of investigative articles by Politico, he withheld firefighting aid from Washington state because of a personal animus against Gov. Jay Inslee. He also appeared more critical of officials at times when severe weather occurred in Democratic-led jurisdictions, including fires in California and hurricanes in Puerto Rico.