White House is evaluating the future of FEMA. After Helene, NC governor has recommended fixes.
Under the Trump administration, the future of the U.S. disaster management agency is far from certain.
The White House has established a council to study the future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). The president has on multiple occasions said he would like to see it abolished altogether. And when the interim head of the agency told Congress earlier this month that he did not want to see it eliminated, he was swiftly ousted.
North Carolina's Gov. Josh Stein has made it clear he'd like to see changes to FEMA, too. On Friday, he put those thoughts in a formal letter to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security — outlining a series of recommendations as western North Carolina continues to recover from Hurricane Helene.
'There is no doubt that FEMA could be better and faster,' Stein wrote. 'But let us improve it, not abolish it. As governor of a state vulnerable to hurricanes, flooding and other extreme weather, I know we cannot afford for FEMA to be eliminated.'
Among Stein's suggestions: create a block grant program to let the agency get money out the door quickly and easily. States could submit pre-approved plans ahead of disasters in order to track spending.
And he wants FEMA money to immediately be able to go toward permanent repairs. In almost all cases, aid from the agency can only be used for temporary or pre-storm condition repairs.
As previously reported by NC Newsline, Stein's administration asked FEMA earlier this year for money to build permanent housing. It was rejected, with a FEMA official citing the fact that 'alternative housing options in North Carolina exist.'
The governor also recommended that the agency move away from reimbursement programs. FEMA's current model forces 'cash-strapped local governments to put up funding' for projects, Stein wrote, slowing recovery and often leaving those governments in financial straits.
And he recommended that the agency make it easier for individuals and households to apply for aid. FEMA should consider a 'common application' that allows a person to more easily apply to aid across multiple programs and departments, he wrote.
As it rebuilds from the deadliest storm in state history, North Carolina has at times found itself at odds with FEMA under the new administration. The agency denied a request to extend full reimbursement on debris cleanup earlier this year; the state has appealed that decision.
Stein is not the first North Carolina official to recommend fixes for FEMA. U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards, a Republican who represents the region hardest hit by Helene, has sent a list of proposals of his own. But Edwards later cancelled a planned press conference after the White House said it needed more time to review his recommendations, the Asheville Citizen Times reported.
Among Edwards' recommendations: forgiving loans to families and small businesses, loosening building codes and reimbursement for property owners and the state.
And last week, more than 80 lawmakers from both parties — including Edwards and North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis — signed a letter calling on FEMA to begin spending money already approved by Congress for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program. As with Stein, the letter called for improved programming from the agency.
While the program 'has room for improvement,' the lawmakers wrote, FEMA and Congress should work together 'to improve the application review and funding distribution process to more effectively reduce the costs disasters pose to our communities, economies, and livelihoods.'
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