Trump Says FEMA Overhaul Will Come after Hurricane Season

States will continue to get FEMA federal disaster aid this year but may see less assistance after changes made in 2026

Bridge damaged by hurricane — Remnants of the Lake Lure Flowering Bridge are seen along the Broad River in a landscape scarred by Hurricane Helene on March 24, 2025 in Lake Lure, North Carolina. Nearly six months after the historic storm, communities in western North Carolina continue the recovery process.

Sean Rayford/Getty Images

Join Our Community of Science Lovers!

CLIMATEWIRE | President Donald Trump said Tuesday that his administration will wait until after this hurricane season to begin cutting disaster aid to states.

Trump’s comments to reporters during an Oval Office briefing are the clearest signal yet that Trump would continue to help states grapple with disasters for at least several more months, despite his threats to abolish the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

When asked how much disaster-related costs would be shifted to states from FEMA, Trump at one point turned to Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and said, “We think, after this... Kristi, I’d say after the hurricane season, we’ll start phasing—”

On supporting science journalism

If you're enjoying this article, consider supporting our award-winning journalism by subscribing. By purchasing a subscription you are helping to ensure the future of impactful stories about the discoveries and ideas shaping our world today.

“We set up a FEMA council,” Noem interjected. “Over the next couple of months, we’ll be working on reforms and what FEMA will look like in the future as a different agency.”

“We’re going to give out less money,” Trump said, reiterating his plan to give states more responsibility for rebuilding after disasters.

Trump created the FEMA Review Council led by Noem and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth to issue recommendations for overhauling the agency by Nov. 16 — two weeks before the end of the Atlantic hurricane season. Trump has repeatedly criticized FEMA as ineffective.

His comments came one day after he approved two separate requests for disaster aid from Missouri Gov. Mike Kehoe (R) following devastating tornadoes and storms in April.

In late May, Trump approved 10 disaster declarations after a weekslong delay prevented some areas from beginning cleanup, resulting in pressure from governors and lawmakers who pushed the president to pick up the pace. Trump proposed a record amount of money for FEMA’s disaster fund in his fiscal 2026 budget request to Congress.

Trump's budget director, Ross Vought, said at the news briefing Tuesday that FEMA's disaster fund is “projected to get us all the way into the end of the fiscal year” Sept. 30.

But a monthly report on the disaster fund released by FEMA on June 3 projects the fund will have a $7.8 billion deficit in September. The report reflects the fund’s financial condition on April 30.

Neither the White House nor the Office of Management and Budget responded to requests for comment about Vought's assertion.

The monthly reports from FEMA often show the disaster fund running out of money in the final months of the fiscal year and sometimes help prod Congress to add money to the fund.

Subscribe to Support Independent Journalism

Great science journalism requires human expertise, time, effort and creativity. And it costs money. That’s why I and the journalists here at Scientific American hope you’ll join our community.

When you subscribe, you are supporting staff and freelance journalists who are passionate about telling science stories that are true, important and compelling. Our editors and reporters are often experts in their fields, which means they understand the nuances of big discoveries and can untangle the breakthroughs from the hype. With a subscription, you are also supporting rigorous fact-checking to ensure the words we publish are precise and accurate. And you’re supporting original illustrations, graphics and photos that bring you closer to an advanced laboratory, an ice sheet in Antarctica or a space mission in orbit. You’re helping us craft other types of high-quality journalism as well: Our newsletters are carefully written, edited and curated by staffers you have or will come to know and love. Our Science Quickly podcast is based on original reporting, collaboration with editors and scientists and exacting production.

Subscriptions keep this engine running so we can continue to deliver thoughtful, rigorous and independent science journalism to you. In an era of viral misinformation, this work is crucial. If you value what we do, I hope you’ll consider joining us as a subscriber

Thank you,

Jeanna Bryner, Editor in Chief, Scientific American