FEMA shouldn't continue "the way it exists today," Kristi Noem says

• He recently told Fox News' Sean Hannity that "FEMA is getting in the way of everything" and that he'd rather the states "take care of their own problems."

Driving the news: Noem, who oversees FEMA as the head of DHS, said Sunday on CNN's "State of the Union" that the president should "get rid of FEMA" in its current state.

• She said federal "resources and the funds and the finances" are still necessary for disaster relief and recovery "but you need to let the local officials make the decisions on how that is deployed, so it can be deployed much quicker."
• While there is agreement the agency needs some reforms, Axios' Andrew Freedman writes, governors are likely to push back against attempts to carry the full weight of disaster response. FEMA currently coordinates with state governments and local officials.
• "We don't need this bureaucracy that's picking and choosing winners," she said.

Zoom out: Trump signed an executive order last month creating a council to review FEMA and recommend changes. As DHS secretary, Noem is co-chair of that council, along with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth.

• A potential overhaul would coincide with ongoing response efforts following Hurricane Helene and the deadly LA area wildfires.

Threat level: FEMA, which employs over 20,000 people nationwide, is one of several agencies where the Elon Musk-led Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) representatives have created confusion and prompted security concerns.

• According to unnamed officials who discussed the situation with the Washington Post, a team that does not have security clearance gained access to FEMA's network containing private information of tens of thousands of disaster victims.

What she's saying: Noem said she is "absolutely" comfortable with Musk's team's presence, claiming "this audit needs to happen."

• "We can't trust the government anymore," Noem said.

Go deeper: Trump, Vance vault FEMA overhaul high on agenda