Trump-Appointed Council Recommends Major FEMA Overhaul
Council proposes parametric disaster triggers, faster direct payments to states, one-time survivor payments, and shifting flood insurance to private market.
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Overview
The FEMA Review Council approved a report proposing sweeping changes to federal disaster support and will send the recommendations to President Donald Trump.
The council, created by Mr. Trump, recommends shifting disaster qualification to a parametric threshold and giving states direct payments within 30 days, replacing reimbursement-based funding.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the report provided clear direction, while some disaster experts warned states and nonprofits might not be able to fill gaps left by a federal pullback.
The 12-person council surveyed 1,387 partners, reviewed 11,708 public submissions, engaged all 50 states and territories, and held listening sessions in 13 cities and four tribal sessions.
Many recommendations would require congressional action, and the report moves away from a prior draft that included cutting the FEMA workforce by 50%.
Analysis
Center-leaning sources present the council as proposing pragmatic, efficiency-focused reforms while foregrounding implementation uncertainty and potential harms to states and vulnerable communities; editorial language (e.g., "sweeping", "devastated") and selective emphasis on fiscal thresholds and NFIP shrinkage tilt coverage toward cautious skepticism, even while citing pro-reform experts.