Kristi Noem, the Secretary of Homeland Security, said, “We all know from the past that FEMA has failed thousands, if not millions, of people. And President Trump does not want to see that continue into the future. So this agency fundamentally needs to go away as it exists.”

President Donald Trump said Tuesday that he plans to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency after this year’s hurricane season, offering the clearest timeline yet for his administration’s long-term plans to dismantle the disaster relief agency and shift responsibility for response and recovery onto states.

President Donald Trump said the Federal Emergency Management Agency will begin to phase out after the current hurricane season. People gather at a FEMA Disaster Recovery Center at A.C. Reynolds High School in Asheville, North Carolina, Tuesday, Oct. 15, 2024. (Makiya Seminera | AP Photo) Makiya Seminera | AP Photo