The president hinted at today’s order during a roundtable briefing in Asheville, North Carolina, before touring an area ravaged by Hurricane Helene last year.
Trump said he’d soon be signing a directive to start “fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA — or maybe getting rid of” the agency entirely.
“FEMA is a very expensive organization that doesn’t work out very well,” Trump said after meeting with families affected by Hurricane Helene. “If it was up to me right now, I’d end it right now.”
Notably, Trump’s executive order on FEMA does not seek to eliminate the agency; Congress would need to act to do that. The order instead underscores Trump’s interest in turning to outside advisers and private-sector companies to fill some typically governmental functions as he seeks to quickly accomplish his second-term goals.
It also reflects his administration’s clear skepticism of FEMA as currently structured, signaling that Trump may pursue more concrete changes once the task force’s review is complete. The details shared with Semafor include concerns about mismanagement of resources, FEMA work on immigration, and other questions that have been raised about the agency in recent years.
Private-sector members of the task force, whose total membership the order caps at 20, are expected to include experienced practitioners in budget management and emergency preparedness.
