States brace for less disaster relief aid as Trump administration reshapes FEMA
"We're going to give out less money. We're going to give it out directly. It'll be from the president's office," President Donald Trump said at a press conference June 11.
The agency is responsible for coordinating response and recovery in disasters that range from floods to wildfires to terrorist attacks.
The agency reported a total budget authority of $60 billion in fiscal year 2025. Federal spending on disaster relief often draws supplemental appropriations from Congress.
Critics of FEMA say the agency is slow to pay out victims and provide guidance for communities in the process of rebuilding.
"We've recommended for years that they work on streamlining their recovery programs, that they better coordinate their programs so communities and survivors don't have to navigate multiple federal bureaucratic programs. And honestly, they just have not been able to do it," Chris Currie, a director at the Government Accountability Office, said in an interview with CNBC.
FEMA is currently managing more than 600 open disaster declarations, some of which date back almost 20 years, according to a Government Accountability Office report published in March. The spending, according to FEMA, includes $80 million in fiscal year 2025 for recovery from Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma, which devastated huge swaths of the Gulf Coast in 2005.
Cuts in federal funding for disaster relief would put the burden on state and local governments in areas affected by disasters.
When Hurricane Helene hit the U.S. in late September 2024, it caused $59.6 billion in damage in North Carolina, according to the Governor's Recovery Office for Western North Carolina. As of May 2025, the federal government had provided about $3.7 billion in recovery funds — approximately 6.2% of the total cost of the damage, according to Democratic Gov. Josh Stein's office.
A FEMA spokesperson said in a statement to CNBC, "FEMA's principles for emergency management assert that disasters are best managed when they're federally supported, state managed and locally executed."
Much work remains nearly a year after Helene damaged many parts of western North Carolina. More than 73,000 homes were damaged, according to an April report from Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C. Major roadways were also damaged, including a stretch of I-40, and the state needs additional federal funds to cover the cost of road repairs, Edwards' report said.
The average income in the disaster area ranges from $35,809 to $55,607, depending on the county, Edwards' report said.
"To not have FEMA means that now local governments will have to deal with disaster, and it's always bigger than the revenues of the local government," said Sarah Wells Rolland, founder and owner of the Village Potters Clay Center in Asheville, North Carolina. "For the funding to be taken away I think is a colossal disaster."
Wells Rolland said her business operated in Asheville's River Arts District for 13 years before Hurricane Helene passed through town. The business was destroyed by more than 24 feet of flood waters, according to NOAA. The Village Potters Clay Center, which generated about $743,000 in annual revenues in 2023, documented almost $200,000 in equipment losses, according to Wells Rolland.
The business had flood insurance through FEMA's National Flood Insurance Policy and received a payment of $165,000, according to Wells Rolland. She plans to reopen this fall in a new location on higher ground.
"We're an economic driver for tourism, hospitality, restaurants, regional development, you know, so we're an essential part of our economic community," said Jeffrey Burroughs, president of the River Arts District Association. "If we can't take on another loan, how do we get the funding to help sustain us so that we can stay open?"
Watch the video above to see how FEMA could evolve in the coming years.
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Newsweek
30 minutes ago
- Newsweek
Zohran Mamdani Remains 'Candidate to Beat' as Cuomo, Adams Slide: Poll
Based on facts, either observed and verified firsthand by the reporter, or reported and verified from knowledgeable sources. Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content. Democratic mayoral primary winner and New York State Assemblyman Zohran Mamdani remains "the candidate to beat" in the battle to lead New York City, according to Dustin Olsen, lead pollster and managing partner at American Pulse Research & Polling, in a survey shared with Newsweek Wednesday night. Why It Matters Mamdani's surge to become the potential face of the Democratic Party in The City That Never Sleeps has intensified debate over the future direction of the party as a whole, as his platform sharply contrasts with those of more centrist and establishment-aligned figures. Mamdani has taken a more aggressive approach than many traditional Democrats—who have historically championed incremental reforms and avoided expansive tax policies targeting high-earners. The New York City mayoral front-runner has proposed increasing taxes on residents earning more than $1 million annually, raising corporate tax rates and implementing a citywide rent freeze. These positions are central to his campaign, which he has framed around affordability, housing justice and public investment in services like free child care, city-owned grocery stores and public transportation. As Mamdani awaits critical Democratic backing from party leaders like House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, he sat down with business leaders in July, where he said he would discourage the phrase "globalize the intifada," according to The New York Times, citing three people familiar with discussions. New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani attends a campaign event August 17 in Prospect Park in New York City. (Photo by) New York mayoral candidate Zohran Mamdani attends a campaign event August 17 in Prospect Park in New York City. (Photo by) What To Know In the poll taken from August 14 to August 19 among 638 likely voters, Mamdani received 36.9 percent of the vote, an uptick of 1.7 percent from a poll in July. Former New York Governor Andrew Cuomo landed 24.6 percent of the vote, a 4.4 percent drop since last month. Republican candidate Curtis Sliwa received 16.8 percent of the vote, a slight rise of 0.7 percent since the July survey. Mayor Eric Adams garnered 11.4 percent of the vote, a drop of 2.4 percent. The poll has a margin of error of 3.9 percent. "Zohran Mamdani remains the candidate to beat," Olson said. "However, this new survey also indicates that he can still be beaten." "Mamdani's support is real and durable, but not overwhelming," he continued, adding: "When crime and public safety enter the conversation, his ceiling shows." In a potential three-way race, Mamdani leads with 38.3 percent of the vote compared to Cuomo's 32.3 percent and Adams' 20.4 percent. In a potential three-way race with Sliwa, Mamdani received 38.5 percent to Cuomo's 30.3 percent and Sliwa's 23 percent. The survey also shows that 58.4 percent of respondents are "less likely" to vote for Mamdani after hearing his previous remarks about defunding the police. The survey shows that 23.8 percent are more likely. Mamdani's views are "too extreme," 45 percent say, while 33.9 percent say they are "about right" and 6.7 percent say, "not progressive enough." Following a deadly mass shooting in New York City in July, Mamdani addressed his prior comments on law enforcement, saying, "I am not defunding the police. I am not running to defund the police," according to CNN. The state assemblyman added that he is a "candidate who is not fixed in time, one that learns and one that leads, and part of that means admitting as I have grown." Mamdani is campaigning on a policy that would implement a "Department of Community Safety," which would "invest in citywide mental health programs and crisis response" as well as deploy outreach workers in subway stations. The survey also shows that Mamdani is the only candidate with a net positive favorability rating, with 47.8 percent favorable versus a 43.6 unfavorable rating. Then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, left, and then-Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, Eric Adams, hold a joint news conference in Brooklyn to discuss the rising rates of gun violence in The Big Apple... Then-New York Governor Andrew Cuomo, left, and then-Democratic nominee for New York City mayor, Eric Adams, hold a joint news conference in Brooklyn to discuss the rising rates of gun violence in The Big Apple on July 14, 2021. (Photo by) More What People Are Saying Columbia University Professor Robert Y. Shapiro to Newsweek via email Wednesday: "What we are seeing in the poll numbers that have him ahead reflect his strengths with eye-opening ideas and a style that is energizing supporters. What we are not seeing are the possible effects of his weaknesses--where he is perceived as too extreme in his policies or positions. "This is where the debates, assuming there may be more than one, will matter in that his opponents can focus on these extreme positions. This can undercut Mamdani's support but not lead to a surge in any one candidate unless at least one of the other candidates with noticeable support drops out, since the vote is being divided." Mamdani posted to X on Wednesday: "When police are made to respond to every single failure of the social safety net, this is the result: forced overtime, declining quality of life, an exodus of officers. Our proposal for a Dept. of Community Safety will allow police to do the jobs they actually signed up for." Vermont independent Senator Bernie Sanders, who has backed Mamdani, posted to X on Tuesday: "The most remarkable reality of the Mamdani campaign is how much the financial and political establishment fears him. They know that when he wins, people nationwide will be motivated to end oligarchic control of our economy and politics. We can do this! Please support Zohran." Cuomo on X Wednesday: "Public safety is job 1. The NYPD is losing officers at a record level. Rebuilding it must be a top priority. The NYPD are NY's finest. It's past time to reverse this dangerous trend to protect our city My plan will add 5,000 officers, 1,500 in the subways, with incentive bonuses to attract the best." Sliwa on X Tuesday: "Crime isn't down. You don't feel safe because you aren't. Every New Yorker deserves a safe commute. Here's my plan to make it happen as your Mayor: Adams posted to X on Tuesday: "This is the time for experience—not experiments. Not upstart political candidates, nor their short-sighted policies and platforms, but a proven track record. With record total jobs, improved housing, and our historic crime declines, New York is back—and stronger than ever under my administration. So get out and vote to re-elect me as New York City mayor to continue on our proven pathway toward safety, affordability, and dignity for all New Yorkers" What Happens Next The general election is scheduled for November 4, and analysts say the race could most likely hinge on whether independent or third-party bids by figures like Cuomo or Adams persist or whether national involvement alters turnout or vote allocation.
CNN
30 minutes ago
- CNN
Analysis: The Democrats go ‘Trump lite' in latest plan to save democracy
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California state legislators are expected on Thursday to pass bills to set up a statewide referendum in November on redrawing the state's congressional maps in a way that could net Democrats five seats in the House of Representatives. The counterattack went into force after deep-red Texas enacted its plan, ordered by the president, to launch a rare mid-cycle redistricting effort in search of five Republican House seats. Trump is blatantly attempting to save the GOP — and himself — from losing the chamber in the 2026 midterms and is prepared to do anything to prevent it. Texas Democrats made a big noise, leaving the state to block votes on the plan — but like almost all other party schemes to slow Trump, it was doomed to fail. The Texas House passed the redistricting bill on Wednesday; it will now move to the state Senate. Newsom — who has a long and testy history with the president — but who shares some of his instincts for stunt politics — is not just taking on Trump by leveraging the mechanics of government in the Democratic cause. He's also personifying the maxim that one way to defang a bully is to laugh at him. The governor's turned his social media accounts into a parody of the president's own huffing and puffing in block capitals on Truth Social. 'THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION TO THIS MATTER! — GN' Newsom wrote after a post on X earlier this month, trolling Trump by mimicking one of his online quirks. This might all seem rather immature and below the dignity of the governor of one of the most powerful states in the union. But it's playing Trump at his own social media game and recognizes that the president has shattered the norms of political speech. A more serious argument many Democrats are now making is that the Republican Party has transformed into such an anti-democratic force that they must do everything to fight back. Sure, it would be more noble for Democrats to stand on principle and refuse to follow Republicans down an authoritarian path by just drawing up more House seats because they feel like it. But they'd be sure to lose. Newsom's response might be cynical. But he's also seized on the Texas redistricting fight because he's one of the few Democrats who have power and know how to use it. He's also channeling palpable demands from the Democratic base for more of a fight. 'He doesn't play by a different set of rules,' Newsom said of Trump last week. 'He doesn't believe in the rules.' On Monday, Newsom seized on Trump's latest Truth Social rant about mail-in voting with his own post on X that aimed to get into the president's head. 'Trump knows he is going to LOSE in 2026,' Newsom wrote. 'His plan to rig new Congressional seats is going to backfire — thanks to California. Now, he's clamoring for other ways to cook the results. This man reeks of DESPERATION.' Newsom is taking a political gamble. There is no guarantee that enough of California's voters will agree with his attempt to change the state Constitution. The California Citizens Redistricting Commission is a cherished plank of state democracy. But as he eyes the White House, the California governor has created a platform to elevate himself over Democratic rivals in galvanizing demands for more urgency in the fight against Trump and his administration challenging election fairness on multiple fronts. In effect, he's soft-launching a bid for the 2028 Democratic nomination without having to make it official. If he succeeds in creating more seats for his party and it captures the House next year, he will claim a lion's share of the credit. Obama addressed the conundrum of whether to play by the rules on redistricting as a true democrat might in a speech on Tuesday night. 'I've had to wrestle with my preference, which would be that we don't have political gerrymandering,' he said at a fundraiser for the National Democratic Redistricting Committee. The ex-president added: 'What I also know is that if we don't respond effectively, then this White House and Republican-controlled state governments all across the country, they will not stop, because they do not appear to believe in this idea of an inclusive, expansive democracy.' Obama said he had 'tremendous respect' for Newsom's approach in that Newsom made the California response conditional on what Texas did. He also praised Newsom's proposal to restore the state's independent redistricting committee after the 2030 census — following Trump's term. The 44th president's pragmatism reflects bitter experience, since he rocketed to attention in a 2004 Democratic National Convention address in which he declared, 'There's not a liberal America and a conservative America — there's the United States of America.' Obama might be best remembered for soaring speeches. But eight years since he left the White House, it's often forgotten he could play hardball: His 2012 reelection campaign ruthlessly savaged GOP nominee Mitt Romney's character. Arguing that democracy was not 'self-executing,' Obama said that if Democrats really believe their own rhetoric, they should do something about it. He called for more support for the NDRC, litigation and organizing. And Obama also made striking allusions to the fights against slavery and racial discrimination in the 20th century. 'It took organizing and activism, and people demonstrating and sometimes getting beat or thrown in jail. It took a civil war,' he said. 'It took extraordinary leadership and courage in order to amend the Constitution. And then to make sure that those victories were actually manifested required people to march and go to jail and in some cases, die.' This came against a backdrop of the supine response of law firms, universities and corporate chieftains to Trump's power grabs. Obama's warning posed the immediate question of whether the ex-president will be taking a more prominent political role himself. Obama has been a caustic critic of Trump at key moments — for instance during the 2020 and 2024 Democratic National Conventions, when he warned about his successor's threat to democracy. But he has wide interests in a lucrative retirement, including in film production and advocacy for his post-presidential foundation. And ex-presidents (among many others) know there can be a price for standing up to a successor who has weaponized the Justice Department. And would Obama be an effective force? His efforts in 2024, including a barn-burner speech at the convention in Chicago that was one-upped by former first lady Michelle Obama, couldn't prevent Trump's return to the White House. Many Democrats are pining for a new generation of leaders. And the next Democratic president, whenever he or she arrives, will require fresh vision and energy after the GOP's attempt to eviscerate the government. Meanwhile, Newsom isn't the only Democrat adopting some of Trump's methods to try to gain traction in the age of fragmented media and online anarchy. Texas Rep. Jasmine Crockett, for instance, has been trolling the president, Trump-style on social media. 'The man in the White House wants to 'crack down' on crime in D.C.… cute,' she wrote on X this week. 'The audacity of sitting in the Oval Office with felony charges and thinking you can lecture anyone on 'law and order.'' Still, Democrats had better be careful. However brazen they get, they'll never match Trump's flame-throwing. A subtext of Trump's populism is that all politics are corrupt. And if voters believe that the Democrats are just as bad as the president, his own more venal behavior won't seem as bad. Trump and MAGA Republicans are trying to create such equivalence. They've portrayed the criminal indictments against Trump during his campaign as the cold-blooded exploitation of government power — even though several of them arose from his attempt to steal the 2020 election. The GOP has better arguments that he was singled out in a successful civil fraud prosecution against him, his adult sons and the Trump Organization in New York. And when Republicans argue that Democrats are guilty of flagrant partisan redistricting of House seats in states they control, like Illinois and Maryland, they have a point. Still, most such efforts fit into the conventional corruption of the age-old practice of gerrymandering. No modern political figure has attempted the assaults on democracy and elections carried out by Trump. The run-up to the midterms may also show whether voters want another showdown over democracy when they are pained by still-high grocery prices and a struggle to afford housing. Neither party has compelling plans to offer relief. No wonder Trump's approval ratings are underwater and Democrats have been plumbing record lows in popularity this year. Democrats are now vowing to 'fight fire with fire,' as New York Gov. Kathy Hochul put it recently. But getting down in the muck and fighting dirty with Trump is risky. He's miles better at it than they are.
Yahoo
an hour ago
- Yahoo
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