NC GOP congressman unveils a plan to fix FEMA
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Photo illustration: Brendan Lynch/Axios. Photo: Nathan Posner/Anadolu via Getty Images
The White House should reform FEMA rather than abolish it, western North Carolina Republican Congressman Chuck Edwards said in a report to President Trump this week.
Why it matters: In releasing the report, Edwards, who Trump tapped in January for a task force to accelerate the state's recovery from Hurricane Helene, joined a chorus of Republicans who've argued the president should keep FEMA rather than eliminate it as he has suggested.
Driving the news: Edwards' 62-page report, which comes some six months after Helene ravaged his district in the mountains, details numerous ways the Trump administration can aid Helene recovery in North Carolina through executive orders, legislation and proclamations specific to the state, along with broader changes to how FEMA operates.
What they're saying: "Western North Carolina also cannot afford for recovery to be interrupted by total terminations of critical recovery programs," Edwards said in the report released Tuesday.
The big picture: Trump, who had criticized the federal government's response to Helene during his campaign last year, has indicated Helene recovery is a top priority for administration.
- The president's first trip after assuming office in January was to western North Carolina.
- "I'll be taking strong action to get North Carolina the support that you need to quickly recover and rebuild," Trump said during his visit. "We're working on it very hard."
- He also indicated his interest in getting rid of FEMA: "I think we're going to recommend that FEMA go away and we pay directly — we pay a percentage to the state."
The intrigue: Edwards proposes that instead of dismantling FEMA, the federal government should simplify its processes, including by creating a universal application for disaster assistance, modernizing its IT systems and changing how it administers some programs.
- Some of those recommendations contradict actions the Trump administration has already taken, per NOTUS. It has ended a FEMA program that Edwards recommends reforming, for example.
- This month, the administration asked Edwards to delay rolling out his recommendations and requested more time to review them. Meanwhile, the administration moved forward with cuts to the agency, NOTUS reported.
Zoom in: Edwards also made numerous recommendations for how the federal government can better aid western North Carolina, including by allowing reimbursements for repairs of private roads and bridges and increasing the federal government's cost share for repairs to I-40 to 100%, up from 90%.