Noem says Trump should 'get rid of FEMA the way it exists today'

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she wants President Trump to “get rid” of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as it exists today.

Noem joined CNN’s “State of the Union” on Sunday, where she weighed in on the debate and Republican push toward dismantling FEMA, particularly as the Trump administration targets federal spending.

“I would say, yes, get rid of FEMA the way it exists today. We still need the resources and the funds and the finances to go to people that have these types of disasters, like Hurricane Helene and the fires in California,” Noem said. “But you need to let the local officials make the decisions on how that is deployed, so it can be deployed much quicker.”

After last year’s hurricanes swept through Florida and North Carolina and the recent fires in California, much conversation has centered on the federal aid agency. Since taking office, Trump and Elon Musk’s Department of Government Efficiency have examined federal spending and have begun making cuts.

Leading the Department of Homeland Security, Noem oversees FEMA.

Trump has been sharply critical of FEMA and has suggested that the individual states should handle their own responses to natural disasters while still being funded by the federal government.

Trump and California Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) had a heated exchange about conditioning aid to Hollywood after the destructive fires.

“FEMA has not done their job for the last four years,” Trump said in January. “FEMA is gonna be a whole big discussion very shortly, because I’d rather see the states take care of their own problems.”

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