A meeting meant to launch FEMA reforms is abruptly canceled

The meeting of a council appointed by President Donald Trump to recommend reforms to the Federal Emergency Management Agency was unexpectedly canceled on Thursday, extending months of uncertainty about how the administration plans to overhaul federal responses to climate disasters.

The FEMA Review Council had been working for months to evaluate potential agency reforms and was scheduled to publicly release its final report at Thursday afternoon’s meeting. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who co-chairs the council, even left a congressional hearing early to attend the gathering.

According to a White House official speaking on condition of anonymity, the meeting was canceled because White House officials had not been fully briefed on the latest draft of the report. Another person familiar with the situation confirmed the cancellation but did not provide the reason.

Participants who had registered to observe the meeting received notification of the postponement two hours after the scheduled start time. The council administrator promised a new date would be announced “as soon as possible.”

The development adds another layer of controversy to a process that has already seen significant tension. In November, sources told The Associated Press that an initial draft of the report was dramatically reduced by Noem’s office from over 160 pages to approximately 20 pages. This drastic reduction raised concerns among some council members that key recommendations might be eliminated while other provisions not endorsed by the council could potentially be added.

Trump established the FEMA Review Council by executive order in late January, coinciding with his proposal to eliminate FEMA altogether while touring areas damaged by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina. The president has repeatedly expressed his desire to shift more responsibility for disaster management to individual states.

The council is co-chaired by Noem and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth. Its 12 members consist almost entirely of officials from Republican-led states, including emergency management directors from Texas and Florida, Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin, Texas Governor Greg Abbott, and former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant.

During Thursday’s now-canceled meeting, council members were expected to present and vote on the recommendations report. The public had been invited to attend virtually and would have had until December 31 to submit comments on the proposed changes.

Despite the controversy surrounding Noem’s office’s edits to the report, former officials and experts previously expressed to the AP that they were impressed by the council’s diligent efforts to gather input from experts and community members to develop meaningful reforms. However, the changes reportedly made by Noem’s office had intensified tensions as the process approached its conclusion.

If Trump ultimately supports the council’s recommendations, he has the authority to implement some changes directly through executive action, while others would require congressional approval.

The postponement comes at a critical time when climate-related disasters are increasing in both frequency and intensity across the United States. Any significant reforms to FEMA could have far-reaching implications for how the federal government responds to hurricanes, wildfires, floods and other natural disasters that have devastated communities nationwide in recent years.

The council’s work is particularly significant given Trump’s previous criticisms of federal disaster response efforts and his stated preference for state-led emergency management. How the administration ultimately decides to restructure FEMA could fundamentally reshape the relationship between federal, state and local governments in preparing for and responding to catastrophic events.

As the nation awaits the rescheduled meeting and the release of the council’s recommendations, emergency management professionals and affected communities remain in limbo regarding the future direction of the country’s disaster response framework.