FEMA In Chaos As Hurricane Season Looms

Under Mullin, FEMA is failing to meet the needs of millions of American families and Democrats step in to investigate corrupt profiteering 

WASHINGTON, D.C. — As hurricane season enters its most dangerous months, FEMA remains in an organizational crisis. Despite the firing of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem and promises of reform from her replacement, the agency's core disaster response functions remain compromised—leaving state and local governments to prepare for catastrophic weather events without certainty that federal assistance will materialize.

A new analysis from Grist lays the issue bare: FEMA officials and disaster experts warn that day-to-day operations have barely shifted. Many payments still require high-level sign-off from Karen Evans, FEMA’s interim administrator. Key programs that fund infrastructure resilience remain inactive, and the National Flood Insurance Program, which covers some 5 million households, has been quietly undermined. 

Worse, Mullin's own comments suggest he may share Trump's broader vision of a diminished federal role in disasters — one where states are expected to shoulder much more of the burden. All this, despite the fact that a state-run disaster response would multiply costs 50-fold and most states couldn’t afford it.

Regardless of Mullin’s inaction, top Democrats on three House Committees are investigating former FEMA contractor Kara Voorhies after new court documents revealed she directed FEMA's chief of staff, required sign-off on agency decisions, and may have violated the Privacy Act. In a letter announcing the investigation, Democrats stated it appeared, “Mr. Lewandowski, Ms. Voorhies was corruptly profiting from a position that gave her an outsized and undue influence over decision-making at FEMA.”

Grist: Trump wants to shutter FEMA. Will Markwayne Mullin get it done?

“President Trump’s firing of Noem last month — which came after a series of controversies regarding her handling of immigration enforcement, improper personal spending, and allegations that she misled Congress — has stirred hopes that FEMA might regain its footing. Noem’s replacement, former Oklahoma senator Markwayne Mullin, has vowed to end her spending freeze, which he dismissed as “micromanaging.” Mullin has also said he will select a permanent administrator to lead FEMA, something Noem never did. He already appears to have fired many of Noem’s top deputies, according to FEMA employees who requested anonymity because they aren’t authorized to speak with the media. 

Yet FEMA officials and disaster response experts say they are still unsure if Mullin can restore the agency to a pre-Noem level of functionality — if that is even his goal. They’re also concerned that the agency’s workforce may not be prepared for the fast-approaching hurricane season. Morale remains low, and many key agency functions are still in limbo…

“Though current and former FEMA officials have expressed hope that Mullin will undo some of Noem’s damage, they also expect a lasting shift to a more balkanized emergency response policy. President Trump has long maintained that states should shoulder more of the burden of preparing for and responding to disasters. Mullin appeared to endorse this diminished role for the federal agency during his recent visit to North Carolina, saying that “we shouldn’t look at FEMA as being a first responder, but … as supporting the first responders you already have.”

“The state is much more equipped,” he continued, “but we can be there to get them past the first heavy lift.”

For some FEMA employees, the comments were an unwelcome sign.

His comments show he has just as little of an understanding of FEMA as Noem did,” said one senior FEMA official. As this official saw it, Mullin’s statements appeared to indicate that he didn’t understand how much most states rely on federal emergency managers right now. (Neither FEMA nor DHS responded to requests for comment.)

While FEMA coordinates the immediate response to the largest hurricanes and wildfires, for most disasters it acts as a reimbursement agency, using money set aside by Congress to pay for disaster recovery most states can’t afford. Local and state governments have to ask the agency to repay them for each street repair, each elevated house, and each rebuilt school, and these projects have to comply with federal rules. The agency also runs national grant programs to prevent everything from power outages to tidal floods.”

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