From Politico: FEMA chief given lie detector test after leak of private meeting. The Department of Homeland Security tested acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton shortly after he met with DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. One excerpt:

“Although Hamilton is in charge of the nation’s leading disaster agency, he appears to have little control over decisions affecting FEMA, including whether to shrink or abolish the agency. Hamilton has expressed frustration to FEMA colleagues, said multiple people, granted anonymity to discuss private conversations.”

Trump’s Mantra From Schools to FEMA: ‘Move It Back to the States’

President Trump justifies his plan to shutter the Education Department by saying that states should control schools. He’s using the idea to explain other policies now, too.

From Bloomberg.com: FEMA’s Demise Could Mean for Flood Insurance

The announcement last week from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem that she plans to “eliminate” the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has cast a pall over the US government’s disaster response unit.

While most of the focus has been on what it would mean for disaster recovery if the agency is wound down, there’s another big issue at stake: FEMA’s foundational role in managing the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP). Any changes to the program or how it’s run can potentially disrupt the lives of millions of homeowners living in flood-prone areas.

Thanks to Chris Jones for the citation.

From the WashPost: Myanmar just had ‘the big one.’ It should be a wake-up call for California.

The famed San Andreas Fault in California is nearly identical to the one that caused the destructive tremor in Myanmar, and is also overdue for an earthquake.
April 1, 2025 at 11:13 a.m. EDT

From HSToday: Emergency Management Leaders Request FEMA Reform, Not Elimination

From the Wash Post: Trump Officials Consider Reducing FEMA’s Role by Oct 1.
Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem and others are weighing whether to strip FEMA of some of its key functions.

Important article. It concludes with citations to the most recent GAO report noted below.

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A related article from MSNBC: Trump wants FEMA gone. But that could be its own kind of disaster. It’s likely that Trump, as he so often is, is being guided by grievance.

From CNN: ‘We’re not preparing’: As Trump officials vow to eliminate FEMA, the agency is already in turmoil

New GAO Report: Disaster Assistance: Improving the Federal Approach
GAO-25-108216.

Very interesting report with a lot of background information on recovery.

From Homeland Security Today: FEMA Hiring Overhaul Drives Fears of Agency Dismantling As Hurricane Season Nears.

FEMA Hiring Overhaul Drives Fears of Agency Dismantling as Hurricane Season Nears

“After firing more than 200 probationary workers from the nation’s federal disaster relief agency, the Trump administration has taken its first step to dismantle the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) just months ahead of hurricane season.

In an email labeled, “Hiring Update” and obtained by CBS News, FEMA informed employees on Friday night of a new hiring process that overhauls contract renewals for more than two-thirds of the agency’s workforce, requiring all employees to submit requests for further extensions to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) for approval.

The decision has created confusion among the ranks of thousands of employees impacted, with fears that the new process will effectively gut the majority of FEMA’s workforce over the next two to four years by forcing employees to reapply for their jobs through the agency’s overseers at DHS.”
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3. FEMA

As President Trump plans deep staff cuts at FEMA and works to eliminate the agency, new data shows that 2024 was one of the worst years for natural disasters. According to a new analysis from the International Institute for Environment and Development, there were 90 declarations of “major disasters” in the US last year — or one every four days. August was the worst month, with 10 major weather-related disasters active at the same time, including Hurricane Debby in Florida, severe storms in Kansas and flooding in Vermont. “We’re seeing hurricane season last longer, we’re seeing spring severe weather season get more significant and we’re seeing the fire season go year-round now,” former FEMA chief Deanne Criswell told CNN.