Senators press DHS on FEMA preparedness, grant cuts and hurricane season readiness
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Summary
Lawmakers asked Secretary Noem about FEMA's readiness for hurricane season, pending disaster declaration requests, and proposed reductions to non‑disaster FEMA grants. Noem said FEMA is pre‑staging personnel and equipment, the FEMA Review Council will pursue reforms, and the administration is evaluating grant programs.
Senators raised concerns on May 20 about FEMA's preparedness for the upcoming hurricane season and about proposed reductions to certain FEMA grant lines. Several senators, including the committee's ranking member and members from states recently affected by storms, said FEMA had signaled gaps in readiness and asked for expedited consideration of disaster declarations and individual assistance.
Secretary Noem said FEMA regional teams were pre‑staging people and equipment and that tabletop exercises and planning were underway. She told senators the FEMA Review Council — an agency effort to restructure disaster response — had held its first meeting and would pursue reforms intended to speed response and improve service to affected communities. Noem also said the administration was reviewing FEMA grant programs to ensure funds are directed toward infrastructure and mitigation projects rather than activities the administration considers outside FEMA's core mission.
Why it matters: Senators told the committee that communities hit by recent storms had urgent needs for individual assistance, debris removal and mitigation funding. Members from Missouri and other affected states pressed Noem to expedite disaster declaration reviews and individual assistance approvals; Noem committed to accelerating those processes when appropriate.
What was not resolved: No formal policy change or appropriations action occurred during the hearing. Senators requested follow‑up information about pending disaster declarations, the status of specific FEMA grants, and assurances about FEMA staffing as some employees had left or retired from the agency.
Ending: DHS agreed to work with the committee and state officials to expedite disaster declarations and to provide more detailed grant and staffing information.