Robert Law, nominated to be Under Secretary for Strategy, Policy and Plans at the Department of Homeland Security, told the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee that he was reviewing FEMA and would work with members to strengthen emergency response and event planning.

Senator Janet Kim asked Law whether it was acceptable for FEMA leadership to be unaware of the timing of hurricane season and whether FEMA should be a focal point for natural disaster response. Law replied, “I believe that the secretary has confidence in the current leadership of FEMA,” and later, if confirmed, he would “be happy to work with you on the crisis management and emergency response efforts of the Department of Homeland Security.”

Senator Gary Peters raised a specific funding and statutory concern: he said DHS had announced the permanent cancellation of the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program and was pulling funding for ongoing projects. Peters asked whether Law would reinstate appropriated BRIC funds; Law said he was not “super involved” in that subject as senior counselor but would “dig into that” and pushed back that he did not understand DHS had violated the law. He referenced the Impoundment Control Act and said administrations may revisit programs within the scope of appropriations, reprogram funds, or follow impoundment procedures.

Senators also asked about DHS preparations for major international events. Law acknowledged shortcomings in inherited plans for events such as the FIFA World Cup and said he had been working with teams to address vulnerabilities; he named Andrew Giuliani (as referenced in committee comments) as a presidential appointee working on the World Cup effort and said he would coordinate policy work to facilitate security, counter‑drone measures and movement of teams and fans.

Law committed to working with senators on FEMA, BRIC funding concerns and major‑event planning if he is confirmed.