It last received a total of $29 billion in December from Congress to fund relief efforts, but Trump has suggested that states should receive the money directly—echoing a policy set out in the radical Project 2025 pamphlet published in the run-up to the election. The president has not yet selected any official to oversee the agency, with former NAVY SEAL Cam Hamilton stepping in to act as its temporary chief and telling his staff that the agency was “critical” for national security.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Sunday issued an executive order establishing a review council to evaluate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), stopping short of instant action to shut or reshape the country's lead disaster response agency. The order calls for the establishment of council made up of relevant federal leaders and "distinguished individuals" selected by Trump from outside government. Trump called on the council to hold its first public meeting within 90 days and submit a report to him within 180 days of the first meeting.

FEMA has failed to provide vulnerable Americans with the resources and support they needed during difficult times, “despite obligating nearly $30 billion in disaster aid” annually over the past three years, it stated. In addition, the order said there were “serious concerns of political bias” within FEMA, and that resources had been used to support missions beyond the agency’s scope, including activities that support illegal aliens.