WASHINGTON – During a hearing on the future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Alabama’s disaster response and emergency management took center stage.
U.S. Rep. Dale Strong, R-Huntsville, a former EMT, chaired his first Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology hearing Tuesday, evaluating FEMA’s disaster response efforts and coordination with state and local governments.
“Recent events have overwhelmed our states and localities and challenged their ability to mobilize and help their communities,” Strong said. “In 2024 alone, FEMA responded to and administered resources for 100 major disaster declarations.”
Alabama’s Emergency Management Agency Director Jeff Smitherman testified at the hearing. He pushed for disaster response efforts to start at the local level and said he wanted to examine FEMA’s efforts holistically. Smitherman said Alabama has had 17 major disaster declarations since 2015.
The agency has been a target of President Donald Trump. He has called FEMA “not good” and a “disaster.” Trump railed against FEMA in a Truth Social Post last month, arguing that it “should be terminated” and said response efforts should be left up to the states.
Trump created the Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council through an executive order in January to produce a report detailing the status of FEMA’s response to prior disasters, ways to improve and a comparison of state and local response efforts to federal efforts.
“I believe we can gain some efficiencies through this process,” Smitherman said “With no additional federal funds, I believe we can build more state and local capacity by adjusting the funding and redefining and streamlining priorities.”
Strong and Smitherman said they are supportive of Trump’s efforts to assess FEMA through the new council. Strong said he is interested in looking at moving FEMA out from under the Department of Homeland Security and making it its own agency.
“I’m very open to that, especially if it makes it more effective for the people of the states, and that the response is more effective,” Strong told Alabama Daily News. “I think both sides are willing to look at it, but it would have to be a definitive plan.”
Strong asked Smitherman about his thoughts on what an appropriate level of FEMA involvement for responding to disasters should look like, while still allowing states to take the lead on response.
Smitherman said he would like to see FEMA’s efforts focused on the most catastrophic disasters, such as the 2011 tornado outbreak in Alabama. He said the federal agency is most helpful in the recovery phase in Alabama.
“When they come in, we have got to figure out a way to make that more responsive, less complex, less bureaucratic and actually get the funds down to the locals who are trying so desperately to get their communities put back in order after that disaster incident,” Smitherman said.
Ranking member of the subcommittee Rep. Tim Kennedy, D-NY, railed against Trump’s comments criticizing the agency and said the focus should be on strengthening FEMA as the country faces increasing natural disasters.
“Make no mistake about it, there is work to be done to improve FEMA, but dismantling its experienced workforce is reckless and dangerous,” Kennedy said.
Kennedy asked Smitherman if FEMA preparedness grants and disaster relief funding is important to his emergency operations, and he said “they are.” Kennedy brought up a federal funding freeze that attorneys general from several states argue is still impacting FEMA grants, despite a judge ruling to stop the freeze.
“To date, we have not been impacted by that freeze,” Smitherman said. “The money…we’re obligated, we’ve been able to draw down. The process has become a little bit slower due to the review but we have not missed any payments at the state level based on that.”
Kennedy then asked Smitherman if cuts to FEMA grants would hurt the state’s emergency management. Smitherman said the “answer is obvious anytime you cut funding to an item” but he then switched to say that the government should also look at if the state and local level disaster responses are managed efficiently.
Kennedy pressed him on the question, asking, “but cutting funding would not be helpful?”
“I think there is readiness that can be gained across the nation as long as funding is available to attain that readiness,” Smitherman said. “Now we would discuss at what level we place that.”
Strong said he hopes Tuesday’s hearing will help inform the FEMA Review Council on how to start reform at the agency.