Former FEMA director to Congress: 'Give it back its independent agency status,' direct access to president

Former director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Michael Brown said that Congress should give the disaster relief agency back its “independent agency status,” allowing it direct access to the president which would, in his view, improve its overall operation.

“The smartest thing they could do is to pull FEMA out, give it back its independent agency status, and give the director direct access to the president. If you don't have direct access to the president, like I had, it's not going to work,” Brown, who served as the FEMA chief from 2003 to 2005 under former President Bush, said during his Thursday appearance on NewsNation’s show “The Hill.”

The agency was formally created in 1979 with former President Carter's executive order. In March 2003, FEMA became part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), the same year the executive department was formed.

FEMA has come under intense scrutiny in recent months, particularly following the devastation that Hurricanes Helene and Milton left behind in Florida and North Carolina, as its response was questioned and criticized by lawmakers and residents.

Its reputation took another hit after a FEMA worker was fired for allegedly advising an assistance team to skip homes in Florida that had President-elect Trump signs in front of them following a major hurricane. Following the incident, FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell was summoned to testify in Congress while an audit started in December led by DHS Inspector General Joseph Cuffari.

The criticism continued this week as Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.), whose district has been ravaged by the Eaton Fire, called out FEMA for reportedly turning down assistance claims because of lack of insurance information. Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-N.C.) slammed FEMA on Tuesday, saying it needs a complete overhaul and a new leader.

“First of all, we need we need a new director, a new administrator, and we’ve got to change the culture of FEMA,” Edwards, whose district was severely damaged after Hurricane Helene, said. “There’s too much government bureaucracy and not nearly enough caring about the folks that they should be tasked to help.”

Brown, who himself resigned from FEMA after 2.5 years after facing criticism over the U.S. response to Hurricane Katrina, echoed a similar sentiment to Edwards’, arguing the agency has been “subsumed” by bureaucracy.

“FEMA has been subsumed by this huge bureaucracy. So I'm not trying to defend the FEMA Administrator, but I can tell you that what's going on is she's fighting a bureaucracy around her that just does not give her the resources or the flexibility to do what you need to do,” Brown said on Thursday.

NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group which also owns The Hill.

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