Trump and Noem detail planned FEMA changes: ‘We're going to give out less money'
President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem detailed changes they hope to make to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), indicating they intend to eliminate the agency 'as it exists today' and to dole out less money to states that are hit by disasters.
'We want to wean off of FEMA and we want to bring it down to the state level. … We're moving it back to the states,' Trump told reporters in the Oval Office on Tuesday.
'We're going to give out less money. … It's going to be from the president's office,' he said. 'As an example, I just gave out $71 million to a certain state. They were looking to do about $120 [million] — they were very happy with the $71 million.'
Trump also indicated that changes could come after the current hurricane season, which lasts from June through November.
Both Trump and Noem have called for axing the disaster agency, which helps coordinate responses to hurricanes, wildfires and more.
Noem reiterated those calls on Tuesday, telling Trump, 'You've been very clear that you want to see FEMA eliminated as it exists today, so I'm preparing all of these governors that they will have more control over the decisions on how they respond to their communities so that it can happen faster.'
She added that the administration was 'building communication and mutual aid agreements among states to respond to each other so that they can stand on their own two feet with the federal government coming in in catastrophic circumstances with funding.'
Republicans have, in recent months, become increasingly critical of the disaster agency after reporting emerged that an employee advised her survivor assistance team not to visit homes with Trump signs.
However, experts have raised concerns about the administration's calls to gut the agency, noting that it could leave vulnerable communities without adequate resources or coordination after a disaster.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Washington Post
14 minutes ago
- Washington Post
‘This president has shown he wants to get what he wants'
Good morning, Early Birds. The Chicago White Sox couldn't get much worse, but at least they have the pope. Send tips to earlytips@ Thanks for waking up with us. In today's edition … DOGE cuts could get a vote in the House … a détente between Musk and Trump? … but first …
New York Times
17 minutes ago
- New York Times
Live Updates: Court Will Consider Trump's Use of Troops as Immigration Protests Spread
California liberals welcomed Gov. Gavin Newsom's speech condemning President Trump, but some remained skeptical of the governor. Republicans, meanwhile, saw his address as opportunistic and blamed him for the state's turmoil. For months, Californians weren't sure what to make of Gov. Gavin Newsom. There was the new podcast on which he interviewed right-wing influencers and said he felt trans athletes shouldn't participate in women's sports. There was the meeting in February with President Trump in the White House. And there were occasional snipes at Republicans, but nothing like those Mr. Newsom had dished out in years past. Then came a blistering nine-minute speech on Tuesday in which Mr. Newsom warned Americans that Mr. Trump was destroying democracy and acting as an authoritarian who would eventually send the military to states across the country. Many liberals in California cheered Mr. Newsom, finally seeing in him the leader of the resistance that they had been missing. Those feeling confused and fearful since Mr. Trump started his second term were looking for someone to stick up for them and said they appreciated Mr. Newsom's forcefulness. 'In a time of rising fear and growing threats to democracy, he spoke not just as a governor, but as a moral leader,' said Representative Lateefah Simon, Democrat of California. 'He named the danger plainly.' But others, while supportive of his message, were not entirely convinced. They said testing the political climate ahead of a potential run for president. 'Even if you're late to the party, you know, welcome to the fight,' said Hugo Soto-Martinez, a progressive City Council member in Los Angeles, who appreciated what Mr. Newsom said but wished the governor had stood up to the president sooner. Adrian Tirtanadi, executive director of Open Door Legal, a nonprofit which provides free legal representation for immigrants and others, said he liked all of the words in Mr. Newsom's speech. But, he said, he wondered why the governor was not backing up the rhetoric with more financial support for immigration lawyers who could fight deportation. Big talk without much action, Mr. Tirtanadi said, is often the California way. Still, others appreciated that Mr. Newsom had demanded that Mr. Trump stop workplace raids and filed lawsuits seeking to block the deployment of National Guard troops and Marines in Southern California. That has given some hope to immigrants who have felt powerless. When David Campos was 14, he and his family traveled by foot and by bus, across deserts and over mountains, to California from their home in Guatemala. They scurried under a border fence and settled in South Central Los Angeles without legal papers. The family eventually obtained citizenship through his father's carpentry job. Mr. Campos went on to Stanford University and Harvard Law School, served on the San Francisco Board of Supervisors and is now the vice chairman of the California Democratic Party. Mr. Campos said he was glad that Mr. Newsom, the former San Francisco mayor with whom he sometimes clashed, took a defiant stance toward Mr. Trump. 'I'm glad he's rising to this moment,' Mr. Campos, 54, said in an interview. 'The governor reminded us that if the president can do this in California, he can do it anywhere in this country. That's how a democracy can die.' Republicans in California, many of whom have aligned with President Trump, said they were decidedly unimpressed with the governor's speech. Senator Brian Jones, the State Senate minority leader, said that the governor seemed to have been filming an early campaign commercial with his speech, from the way the flags were set in his backdrop to the suit he was wearing. 'It doesn't do anything to lower tensions in L.A.,' Mr. Jones said. 'When he says we all need to stand up, is he encouraging more people to show up to the riots and participate?' James Gallagher, the Republican leader of the California State Assembly, called the governor's address 'self-righteous political posturing.' Mr. Gallagher said California's policy of preventing local law enforcement from working with federal immigration officials created the current tension. He said he found it funny that Mr. Newsom was accusing Mr. Trump of being authoritarian when the governor ordered Californians to close their businesses, stay home from church, attend school on Zoom, wear masks and get vaccinated during the Covid-19 pandemic. 'He was a total tyrant, and he has no business talking about authoritarianism because he is exhibit A,' Mr. Gallagher said. Mr. Newsom's speech, as well as his sharp-tongued retorts to Republicans on social media this week, won some plaudits from younger influencers. Dwayne Murphy, Jr., a 34-year-old content creator who lives in Downey, Calif., and said he votes Democrat, said he appreciated that the governor 'seems to be hyper-focused on standing up for this state at a time like this, and I feel like that's what people are very encouraged by.' Inkiad Kabir, 20, a pop culture content creator who lives in the Inland Empire region of California, said that Mr. Newsom was the rare Democrat willing to go on the attack, calling him 'basically liberal Trump, in a way.' Mr. Kabir created a popular TikTok video this week in which he called the governor 'Daddy Newsom' and likened the governor to a 'toxic ex that you promise you're not going to go back to, but you always go back to.' For now, it seems, Mr. Kabir has gone back.
CBS News
19 minutes ago
- CBS News
Protests against immigration raids continue to spread across the U.S. Here's a look at many of them.
Protests over federal immigration enforcement raids and President Trump's mobilization of the National Guard and Marines to Los Angeles continue to spread nationwide. While many have been peaceful, with marchers chanting slogans and carrying signs against the Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency, some protesters have clashed with police, leading to hundreds of arrests and the use of chemical irritants to disperse crowds. Activists say they will hold even larger demonstrations in the coming days with "No Kings" events across the country on Saturday to coincide with Mr. Trump's planned military parade through Washington, D.C. Here's a rundown of many of them: LOS ANGELES A group of demonstrators who'd gathered outside the federal buildings in the city's downtown marched out of the curfew zone just after it went into effect for a second night. A smaller crowd of people nearby was seen being taken into custody about 20 minutes after curfew, with the CBS News Los Angeles helicopter overhead. SEATTLE Police say the demonstration began with a peaceful march but officers intervened when some people set fire to a dumpster at an intersection late Wednesday night. As police waited for the Seattle Fire Department to arrive, some people "from the group confronted them, throwing bottles, rocks, and concrete chunks at them," police said. "A protestor threw a large firework at officers, but no one was injured. Police issued dispersal orders and moved the crowd out of the area making eight arrests for assault and obstruction." Protesters stand in front of a dumpster that was set on fire in front of the Henry M. Jackson Building in Seattle during a June 11, 2025 demonstration against federal immigration raids Ryan Sun / AP SPOKANE, WASH. More than 30 people were arrested in downtown Spokane Wednesday night as anti-ICE protesters clashed with police, CBS Spokane affiliate KREM-TV reports. The station says community members gathered at the Spokane ICE office Wednesday afternoon to protest the detainment of a 21-year-old Venezuelan man seeking asylum. Mayor Lisa Brown imposed a curfew in the city's downtown after the demonstration at the ICE office. Police Chief Kevin Hall said protesters were arrested and officers deployed "pepper balls" on the crowd. LAS VEGAS Hundreds of people gathered outside the Las Vegas Federal Courthouse in the downtown area, CBS Las Vegas affiliate KLAS-TV reported. The protest remained peaceful until around 9 p.m. when police issued a dispersal order and declared an unlawful assembly "due to protestors engaging in illegal activity." The crowd dispered 15 minutes later.
