FLETCHER, N.C.
— President Donald Trump said Friday that he was considering “getting rid of” the Federal Emergency Management Agency, offering the latest sign of how he is weighing sweeping changes to the nation's central organization for responding to disasters.
While Trump emphasized his desire to help North Carolina, a battleground state that's voted for him in all of his presidential campaigns, he was much less generous toward California, where he plans to visit wildfire-ravaged Los Angeles later in the day. The agency helps respond to disasters when local leaders request a presidential emergency declaration, a signal that the damage is beyond the state's ability to handle on its own. FEMA can reimburse governments for recovery efforts such as debris removal, and it gives stopgap financial assistance to individual residents. Some of Trump's conservative allies have proposed reducing how much money the agency should provide.
Trump has showered California leaders with disdain for water policies that he falsely claimed worsened the recent blazes. He said he would “take a look at a fire that could have been put out if they let the water flow, but they didn’t let the water flow.” He's also been focused on California water policies, specifically fish conservation efforts in the northern part of the state.
Michael Coen, who served as chief of staff at FEMA during the Biden administration, said Trump was “misinformed” about an agency that provides critical help to states when they're overwhelmed by catastrophe.“You’re going to pick winners and losers on which communities are going to be supported by the federal government," he said."I think the American people expect the federal government will be there for them on their worst day, no matter where they live.
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