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June 9, 2026 / 5:27 PM EDT
/ CBS News
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A new analysis warns that a proposed overhaul of the Federal Emergency Management Agency by a Trump-appointed panel would limit access to federal disaster aid for survivors, shifting the burden to state and local governments amid hurricane season.Last month, the FEMA Review Council floated sweeping changes to the disaster agency, turning it into a leaner organization that plays a supporting role in reacting to natural disasters, requiring state agencies to take the lead. The proposed overhaul, much of which requires congressional approval, came after President Trump suggested trying to "wean" states off of FEMA or eliminating the agency altogether.But a report penned by Sabotaging Our Safety argues the FEMA Review Council's plan would first make federal disaster aid harder to unlock, raising the threshold to declare a major natural disaster so high, it would have excluded nearly one-third of declarations spanning from 2012 to 2025.The progressive disaster preparedness advocacy group is advised by elected officials, labor leaders, political organizers and emergency management veterans. The group argues that FEMA's rebrand would replace FEMA Public Assistance grants — which totaled approximately $180 billion over the past five years — with formula-based block grants that may not reflect the actual cost of rebuilding roads, schools, hospitals and other damaged infrastructure.For individual survivors, fifteen categories of assistance would instead be collapsed into one capped payment, leaving survivors with fewer options for help with housing, medical costs, funeral expenses, vehicle repairs and other disaster losses.For flood-zone families, the report warns the overhaul would accelerate insurance changes that could drive up premiums and price low-income households out of coverage, leaving some of the most at-risk Americans with less protection before the next storm.Public recovery grants would be replaced with a formulaOne of the most consequential changes proposed by the Review Council is the replacement of FEMA's Public Assistance program – a federal program that helps state and local governments pay for debris removal, emergency protective measures and the repair of roads, bridges, schools, hospitals, utilities and other public infrastructure.
