DHS Secretary Kristi Noem Vows To ‘Eliminate’ A Massive Federal Agency

President Donald Trump’s second term has been largely defined thus far by a focus on eliminating waste and fraud across the federal government.

This week, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem offered a glimpse into one such effort she said is already underway.

As The Hill reported:

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said she planned to “eliminate” the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) during a televised Cabinet meeting Monday.

ADVERTISEMENT

While giving a status report on border security, Noem added, “and we’re going to eliminate FEMA.” She did not elaborate.

“That’s great. Great job,” President Trump said — appearing to respond to her broader status update.

FEMA has long been a target of fiscal conservatives for years, and Noem’s remark was met with considerable support on social media:

Send it back to the states. Any Governor that needs to up their disaster response should look to Florida's leadership and disaster plans.

— Ryan Jacobsen (@Dndbreakfast) March 24, 2025

Good. They seized donated supplies and blocked rescuer's access to save lives.

They should all be in jail.

— The Nerd (@maietta) March 25, 2025

That is excellent news. Another agency that can’t seem to operate at all, never mind efficiently.

— MM (@mmstratus) March 25, 2025

Trump himself has hinted at getting rid of the agency, as reported by CBS News:

On Wednesday, Mr. Trump signed an executive order directing state and local governments to “play a more active and significant role” in preparing for emergencies nationwide.

“I say you don’t need FEMA, you need a good state government,” Mr. Trump said while visiting the Los Angeles communities following devastating wildfires in January. “FEMA is a very expensive, in my opinion, mostly failed situation.”

For months, the president has toyed with the idea of eliminating the agency. The nation’s disaster relief arm was established under the Carter administration and later reshuffled under DHS as the department was stood up post-9/11.

ADVERTISEMENT

Project 2025 policy proposals include a call for “reforming FEMA emergency spending to shift the majority of preparedness and response costs to states and localities instead of the federal government.”

“If states aren’t ready, they better get ready,” one current FEMA employee told CBS News. “It takes FEMA four months to refresh and restock all of our goods that get sent out for hurricane season. I can’t imagine the states are anywhere near staffed up enough or robust enough to handle this mission on their own.”

Here’s what Noem had to say on the matter nearly two months ago: