Last Chance: Reform FEMA Now | Opinion
Summary
David Richardson, identified as FEMA’s former acting director, argues that a leaked DHS memo proposing to wind down routine federal disaster assistance within six months is unlikely to be implemented. He says political resistance, staffing concerns and states’ reliance on federal disaster funding could block the changes, and argues for reducing FEMA’s headquarters workforce and shifting more costs to states.Key Facts
- The article describes a leaked internal FEMA memo proposing to wind down routine disaster assistance within six months.
- Richardson says a FEMA strategy developed by his team in 2025 also proposed reducing centralized disaster relief.
- He says DHS rejected his team’s strategy in May 2025 while awaiting recommendations from the FEMA Review Council.
- Richardson estimates that FEMA headquarters has about 6,000 employees and contractors.
- He says his team concluded that no more than 1,000 headquarters employees and contractors were needed for FEMA’s essential duties.
- Richardson argues that state governments often seek federal disaster funds rather than first reducing their own resources.
- He says political pressure from states, Congress and disaster-recovery companies could hinder efforts to shift costs to states.
- The article is an opinion piece by Richardson and ends mid-sentence.
Read the Full Article
This is a fact-based summary from The Actual News. Click below to read the complete story directly from the original source.
