Former Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Director Michael Brown, who led the agency during Hurricane Katrina, believes FEMA should be rid of unnecessary bureaucracy.
Brown, who joined “The Hill on NewsNation” to discuss a reporting from The Hill that an internal memo warned “FEMA is not ready” for this hurricane season, says the agency should be independent from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
President Trump said in January that he wanted the states to oversee disaster relief as opposed to the federal government. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, a vocal supporter of the president, has vowed to dismantle the agency.
The former director told host Blake Burman that FEMA being under DHS makes it “a bureaucracy on top of a bureaucracy.”
“Make the FEMA administrator under the Stafford Act, like it has always been, directly reportable to the president of the United States,” Brown said.
“And then, make certain that we start strengthening state and local response … we have actually weakened state and local governments by throwing so much money at them, and then they use that money to offset budget shortfalls they have,” he added.
When asked if there would be tension should hurricanes — such as the recent deadly Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene — damage the U.S. again, Brown replied, “Absolutely.”
But, he said, he did not have much hope of addressing or resolving the future of FEMA.
“It’s Washington, D.C.,” Brown told NewsNation.