The Federal Emergency Management Agency faces an uncertain future as the Trump administration signals potential elimination of the disaster response agency, while Congress pursues competing reform efforts and internal reviews reveal the agency is unprepared for the upcoming hurricane season.

"President Trump has been very clear since the beginning that he believes that FEMA and its response in many, many circumstances has failed the American people and that FEMA, as it exists today, should be eliminated," said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

The debate over FEMA's future comes as residents like Allison Walla of Fulshear continue to experience frustrating delays with the agency. After Hurricane Beryl left her without power for nearly 72 hours, Walla purchased a generator and applied for FEMA's $629 reimbursement program in July 2024. Despite submitting all required documentation, she faced months of denials and wasn't approved until May 2025 – and only after Congressman Troy Nehls' office intervened.

"So many are just tired of government dropping the ball or not doing their part or just you don't get anywhere," Walla said. 

Michelle Meyer, director of the Hazard Reduction & Recovery Center at Texas A&M, said Walla's experience reflects a broader pattern. 

"That is unfortunately very common," Meyer noted, adding that potential FEMA restructuring could force states and municipalities to shoulder more disaster relief costs.

"Is each local community, are we doing everything we can to be resilient on our own right? Or are we too reliant on a federal government system?" Meyer asked. "I think a lot of those discussions need to be happening now as we wait to see how FEMA restructures."

Houston Democratic Congresswoman Lizzie Fletcher opposes eliminating the agency entirely, arguing that FEMA provides crucial expertise during disasters. 

"I'm definitely not in the camp of eliminating at all, because we have seen the value and the importance of FEMA," Fletcher said. "They bring that expertise and knowledge to disaster management. That is incredibly important in those initial hours and in the time that follows. Now, is there room for improvement? Of course there is."

Congress is currently working on bipartisan legislation to reform rather than eliminate FEMA, putting lawmakers at odds with the Trump administration's approach.

Sarah Labowitz, a senior fellow at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace who runs the Disaster Dollar Database tracking FEMA funding, acknowledges the agency's imperfections while emphasizing the need for proactive investment. 

"Anyone who lives in Houston knows that FEMA isn't perfect," Labowitz said. "We have to be making smart investments on the front end to bring down the cost of disaster by making our public buildings, our homes, our roads more resilient for the climate we live in now."

The uncertainty surrounding FEMA's future comes at a critical time, with internal reviews finding the agency unprepared for the current hurricane season and the Trump administration already implementing cuts that have raised concerns about disaster response capabilities.

Read this story at KHOU.