Eliminating FEMA would be 'huge mistake' after California wildfires, Democrat says

Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) said it would be a “huge mistake” to terminate the Federal Emergency Response Agency (FEMA) in the wake of back-to-back natural disasters including the Los Angeles wildfires and hurricanes that devastated the southeastern U.S.

“I think that would be a huge mistake,” Chu told NewsNation’s “The Hill” in an interview Tuesday. “They certainly have been very responsive to our survivors in this area, and they have dispensed millions of dollars to thousands upon thousands of survivors.”

“They work over 12 hours a day, just serving them day in, day out, and their immediate response is what’s really necessary, especially in a disaster of this size,” she added. 

President Trump has been critical of the agency in light of the California blazes, which occur almost every year. The president has slammed Gov. Gavin Newsom (D) for lack of preparation and questioned him on the state’s water resources used to combat the fires.

In late January, Trump suggested an overhaul of FEMA in hopes of improving the federal response to natural disasters.

“I’ll also be signing an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA or maybe getting rid of FEMA,” the president told reporters last month. “I think, frankly, FEMA’s not good.”

Republicans immediately backed the idea suggesting the agency needs to be restructured to fit the needs of states across the country. 

“We still need the resources and the funds and the finances to go to people that have these types of disasters, like Hurricane Helene and the fires in California,” Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said on Sunday during an appearance on CNN’s “State of the Union.” 

“But you need to let the local officials make the decisions on how that is deployed, so it can be deployed much quicker,” she added.

The president, while on the campaign trail, repeatedly attacked the Biden administration and FEMA over hurricanes Helene and Milton, which left a trail of destruction across Florida, Georgia and the Carolinas. Trump was also among those who spread unsubstantiated claims during the hurricane response, accusing the agency of misappropriating funds, turned away volunteers and not having enough funds to respond to the disasters.

A FEMA employee was also fired last year after they told aid workers to avoid homes with pro-Trump yard signs.

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