‘Abolish FEMA’ Memo Details Trump’s Plan to Scrap Agency
Also today: ICE detains NYC mayoral candidate Brad Lander, and large swaths of US braces for record heat.
From left, President Donald Trump, Secretary of Interior Doug Burgum, Office of Management and Budget Director Russell Vought and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem at the White House, on June 10.
Photographer: Ken Cedeno/UPI/Bloomberg
A March 2025 memo seen by Bloomberg details how the Trump administration plans to drastically shrink the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s key disaster response functions. The document, titled “Abolishing FEMA” and addressed from then-acting FEMA head Cameron Hamilton, proposes ending federal aid for smaller disasters that aren’t of “national significance,” cutting long-term housing assistance for survivors and halting new enrollments in the National Flood Insurance Program, among other things.
Such reforms would transfer responsibilities to state and local governments, even as the memo acknowledges that many are currently “unprepared” to expand their roles. The changes could come as early as late 2025, though many of the proposals would require congressional action. Read more from Zahra Hirji, Jason Leopold and Lauren Rosenthal today on CityLab: ‘Abolishing FEMA’ Memo Outlines Ways for Trump to Scrap Agency