Several North Carolina lawmakers at various levels of government are critical of President Donald Trump’s plans to phase out the Federal Emergency Management Agency [FEMA] after the 2025 hurricane season.
U.S. Rep. Deborah Ross, D-North Carolina, released a statement Wednesday about Trump’s proposal.
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“It’s completely disgraceful that Donald Trump would sit in the Oval Office and claim his administration has successfully helped western North Carolina rebuild from the devastation brought by Hurricane Helene,” Ross wrote. “His proposal to eliminate FEMA will be disastrous for the communities still rebuilding and the communities that will be affected by this hurricane season.
“If Trump really cares about effectively managing disaster response, then he should submit a funding request to Congress to replenish the Disaster Relief Fund. North Carolina and states across the Southeast still face long roads to full recovery from Hurricane Helene. It’s time for President Trump and his administration to start facilitating – not obstructing – the federal aid our communities desperately need.”
Canton Mayor Zeb Smathers, whose town was devastated by a tropical storm in 2021 and Helene in 2024, had a different take than Ross.
“I think it does have some promise, but I don’t see us eliminating something so much tax money goes to, to respond to these disasters,” Smathers said.
Smathers has dealt extensively with FEMA. He said the agency should be reformed and get money more quickly to people and communities that need them.
“I think the people of this state and these United States will be served best when they have the state of North Carolina that has the resources and dedication like we do, but at the same time, it is met with a federal response that is quicker, provides resources to us and respects the people it is dealing with on the ground,” Smathers said.
Trump’s plan would shift disaster-relief responsibilities and funding directly to governors. He spoke with reporters during a briefing this week in the Oval Office.
“We want to wean off of FEMA, and we want to bring it down to the state level,” Trump told reporters during a briefing in the Oval Office, later saying, “A governor should be able to handle it, and frankly, if they can’t handle it, the aftermath, then maybe they shouldn’t be governor.”
Trump added that the federal government will start distributing less federal aid for disaster recovery and that the funding will come directly from the president’s office.
On Tuesday, Trump said the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in September 2024 is part of the reason he wants to eliminate FEMA.
“You saw what happened in North Carolina under the past administration,” Trump said. “And when we got in, we did a great job for North Carolina, brought it back, but it was a disaster, FEMA, and it has not worked out well.”
In recent months, Trump has talked about cutting back or eliminating FEMA.
Gov. Josh Stein, D-North Carolina, addressed those statements last week, calling any cuts to FEMA a “man-made disaster.”
A May 2025 release from FEMA pointed out that the agency still has 785 staff members in North Carolina and said that the agency is still covering 90% of the cost of debris removal.
It’s not clear what would happen to the money or the workers if the agency is phased out.
Critics of Trump’s plan believe the burden, cost and uncertainty of a natural disaster would further stretch the state’s resources and employees, like the people who work for the North Carolina Emergency Management Division.
In western North Carolina, residents are still digging out from Hurricane Helene.
That debate over who will respond when disaster strikes is playing out now in Western North Carolina, where residents are still digging out from Hurricane Helene. John Council of Sugar Grove in Watauga County remembers waking at 4 a.m. the night Helene hit to check the river’s rise. By dawn, floodwaters had more than doubled.
“I told my wife she should pack a bag," Council said. "Our road was underwater, and we would have had to hike out if the water got any higher.”
Council had no homeowner’s insurance, and 10 days after the storm, he drove into Boone to apply for FEMA aid because his home lacked internet and cell service. He called the agency his family's "only lifeline.”
North Carolina’s Helene request denied
After Helene, North Carolina asked FEMA to extend 100% reimbursement for debris removal and emergency protective measures. FEMA denied that request this spring, forcing the state to cover millions in extra cleanup costs.
“People need debris removed, homes rebuilt and roads restored,” Gov. Josh Stein wrote on X. He said he was “extremely disappointed” and urged FEMA to reconsider.
Emergency managers and policy experts warn most states lack the budgets, personnel and logistics to replace FEMA’s role in major disasters.
While Trump argues phasing out federal aid will save money and empower governors, critics say it could slow responses, reduce disaster declarations and leave survivors without crucial support.
Council said communities like his are growing more vulnerable as storms intensify.
“These storms are getting more frequent,” Council said. “We need a stronger, smarter FEMA, not none at all.”
Atlantic hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30
The WRAL Severe Weather Team projects this year’s hurricane season to be “near average.” Hurricane season runs from June 1 through Nov. 30.
Scientists warn that warming oceans are strengthening hurricanes and fueling rapid intensification before landfall. At the same time, more homes have been built in high-risk coastal and floodplain areas, putting more people in harm’s way.
FEMA’s shrinking capacity
FEMA has lost roughly one-third of its workforce this year, with about 2,000 staffers retiring early or being dismissed.
The administration is considering cutting door-to-door assistance programs and raising the damage threshold communities must meet before qualifying for federal aid.