Trump FEMA Review Council recommends closing chapter on agency in current form

The Trump-appointed FEMA Review Council released draft recommendations in December 2025 proposing cuts of 15 percent to permanent staff, 41 percent to disaster response staff, and 85 percent to surge workforce. DHS had already begun slashing disaster response staff in January 2026. The final report approved at a White House meeting in May 2026 stopped short of specific workforce mandates but called for closing the chapter on FEMA in its current form and shifting disaster response responsibility to states.