What happened?

When a hurricane hits or a wildfire spreads, Americans expect help to arrive fast. But a new report from Congress's nonpartisan research arm finds that many states may not be ready to take on more of that work if the federal government steps back.

The Congressional Research Service (CRS) published its findings Sept. 3, examining whether state emergency management agencies have the staff and money to absorb more responsibility. The Trump administration's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Review Council has recommended shifting more disaster response duties to states, local governments, tribes, and territories, with the federal government playing a supporting role rather than the lead.

Why Does it Matter to Me?

If you've ever needed help after a flood, tornado, or wildfire, this change could affect how quickly that help arrives and who pays for it.

Right now, states vary widely in what they can handle. According to the National Emergency Management Association, state emergency management staffing ranges from 22 full-time employees in Wyoming to 1,878 in California. The national average is 168. In the current fiscal year, 1,191 positions sat vacant out of 8,612 total state emergency management jobs nationwide. Sixteen states reported layoffs or hiring freezes.

State budgets for emergency management range from $390,000 in New Mexico to $700 million in Illinois. For some states, up to 99.4 percent of their emergency management budget came from federal dollars in fiscal year 2024. Only 28 states have their own grant programs to help communities recover after disasters, similar to what FEMA currently provides nationally.

Both sides, now

Supporters of shifting responsibility to states argue that local governments know their own risks best and can respond more efficiently without federal bureaucracy. The FEMA Review Council's recommendation reflects that view.

The Congressional report finds that the gaps are real. The report concludes that some states may be ready for expanded duties, but others could struggle. It warns that rapid changes could create gaps in disaster recovery aid and that states may need months or years to update their laws, staffing, and programs.

A bill in Congress, the Sovereign States Emergency Management Act (H.R. 3347), introduced by Rep. Clay Higgins (R-LA), would go further. It would abolish FEMA two years after passage and replace it with a block grant program, meaning states would receive a lump sum of federal money to manage on their own. The bill has not moved past the committee stage.

Congress currently provides roughly $2 billion a year for FEMA preparedness grants to states and local governments.

What happens next?

The bill, H.R. 3347, has no scheduled committee vote or floor debate. For it to become law, it would need to clear committee, pass both the House and Senate, and be signed by the president. The full CRS report is available to the public and is likely to inform any congressional debate on FEMA's future.

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