President Donald Trump said Friday he would consider signing an executive order to “fundamentally reform” or potentially eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema), criticizing the agency’s disaster response during a tour of hurricane-damaged areas in western North Carolina.
Trump threatens to scrap emergency agency Fema President tours hurricane-damaged areas of North Carolina and says: ‘I think we’re going to recommend Fema go away’.
Trump proposed giving governors more direct responsibility for disaster response, indicating he wants to redirect federal funding straight to states rather than through the federal agency.
Speaking to reporters in Asheville, Trump called Fema “not good” and “a disaster”, suggesting the agency is ineffective in responding to natural emergencies.
The president is scheduled to continue his disaster-area tour with his next stop in Los Angeles, where he will survey the wildfire-damaged regions in Pacific Palisades, as nearby fires still burn in southern California.
