Rep. Moskowitz alleges alterations and withholding of FEMA Council report; calls for broader oversight
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Summary
Rep. Jared Moskowitz told the Transportation and Infrastructure panel that the FEMA Council's report was edited and curtailed, alleging Governor Kristi Noem removed recommendations and the White House paused publication; no agency response was recorded at the hearing.
Representative Jared Moskowitz (FL) used his member‑day time to sharply criticize the trajectory of FEMA reform and to make specific allegations about the FEMA Council’s report and process. "The report was a 160 pages long ... Kristi Noem had that removed from the report by herself," Moskowitz said, asserting the document was shortened to 20 pages before submission.
Moskowitz said the White House paused both the report’s release and a planned council meeting. He also said states have not received some disaster reimbursements and alleged, without presenting supporting documents at the hearing, that internal policies have centralized approvals and created opportunities for improper influence on reimbursements.
Committee members did not record a formal agency rebuttal during the member‑day statements. The assertions are consequential and, as Moskowitz himself acknowledged by urging further oversight, require documentary corroboration and response from FEMA and other named officials before being treated as established fact.
The committee did not take any formal action during the hearing to request documents or compel testimony from FEMA; Moskowitz asked that Homeland and this committee take a larger role in FEMA oversight going forward. Any follow‑up would likely involve staff requests for the council report, internal correspondence, and a formal invitation to FEMA leadership to provide an account of the report’s handling.
Next steps: staff follow‑up to request the FEMA Council materials cited by Moskowitz and invite FEMA leadership to respond in writing or at a subsequent oversight hearing.
