Sat Jan 25 03:43:12 IST 2025: ## Trump Threatens to Dismantle FEMA After Hurricane and Wildfire Tours
**Raleigh, NC/Los Angeles, CA –** Following visits to hurricane-ravaged North Carolina and wildfire-stricken California, President Donald Trump has renewed his attacks on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), threatening to abolish the agency and shift disaster relief responsibilities to individual states.
During a Friday news conference in North Carolina, Trump announced plans to sign an executive order to “fundamentally reform and overhaul FEMA – or maybe get rid of FEMA.” He argued that states are better equipped to handle disaster response, stating, “When there’s a problem with the state, I think that that problem should be taken care of by the state.”
Trump’s comments follow criticism of FEMA’s response to Hurricane Helene, which devastated parts of several states in September, leaving over 200 dead. He reiterated claims that the Biden administration’s response was inadequate, alleging that federal relief workers refused to help Republican residents – a claim that has been widely refuted. He further criticized FEMA as “a very big disappointment,” citing its bureaucracy and slow response.
The President’s trip to California, where wildfires continue to rage, also saw him linking disaster aid to the state’s implementation of a voter-ID law. Critics have denounced this condition as a potential barrier to voting rights.
Protests greeted Trump’s motorcade in North Carolina, with demonstrators highlighting the connection between climate change and the severity of recent extreme weather events. Trump’s administration has previously rolled back several climate-change policies. The President’s plans for FEMA remain unclear, with no specific timeline provided for the proposed changes.
First Piper 