PROVIDENCE, RI -- Hurricane season officially begins June 1 and forecasters are predicting an active Atlantic hurricane season.  Meanwhile, state emergency response agencies are preparing for the possibility that the Trump Administration will leave them in the lurch – as President Trump attempts to shift a heavier financial burden onto states and dismantle the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which provides timely, coordinated support to prepare for, respond to, and recover from hurricanes and other major disasters.   

U.S. Senator Jack Reed (D-RI), a member of the Senate Appropriations Committee, warns the Trump Administration’s chaotic leadership changes, budget reductions, and FEMA staff cuts are unnecessarily making it harder for coastal states to prep for hurricane season and respond to and recover from a major natural disaster. 

Senator Reed sent a letter to the head of FEMA urging the agency to “rehire key staff and provide a detailed plan showing how FEMA will operate during what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts will be an “above normal” hurricane season.”

Since the start of President Trump’s term, FEMA has lost at least one-third of its staff: At least 2,000 of the agency’s roughly 6,100 full-time employees have either left or plan to leave due to waves of terminations and voluntary retirements ordered by the so-called Department of Governmental Efficiency (DOGE).  President Trump’s preliminary 2026 budget proposal calls for slashing $646 million from FEMA. 

FEMA provides direct financial relief to states, localities, and individuals after a disaster, but it also provides technical expertise and funding to help state and local governments prepare for and manage large scale disasters. 

Senator Reed wrote: “Regrettably, because of the Trump Administration’s actions over the last several months, FEMA seems ill-prepared to carry out these responsibilities.”

The letter also noted: “On May 21, Reuters reported that the Administration’s abrupt firing of Acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton and the departure of 16 senior FEMA executives have “disrupted the agency’s planning for hurricane season.”  CNN reported on May 15 that a recent FEMA internal review found that the agency “is not ready” for the start of hurricane season.  According to a May 9 NPR report, the Administration has fired more than 200 FEMA employees and that hundreds more have indicated they are accepting the Administration’s resignation offers.  And a May 23 Washington Post article notes that FEMA faces a backlog of unprocessed emergency declaration requests from prior storms.  These reports inspire little confidence that FEMA is focused on its mission.”

Noting the obvious connection between a major reduction in FEMA staff, budget, and resources and a potential reduction in federal involvement, Reed called on the Trump Administration to reverse its mass staff reductions and implement a plan to ensure the timeliness and adequacy of FEMA’s response to future disasters.

“With hurricane season just days away, it is essential that FEMA shows that it is properly staffed and that key leadership positions are held by individuals who have had previous experience as emergency managers during major disasters.  To that end, I urge you to reinstate the professional staff who have left the agency in recent months and provide a detailed plan showing how FEMA will assist states during major disasters.  Additionally, I would caution against adopting any significant changes in FEMA’s processes for approving requests for disasters declarations and disaster assistance without consultation with states, stakeholders, and Congress.  Any changes should be the result of a deliberative process, rather than impromptu actions,” the letter concluded.

Full text of the letter follows:

Dear Mr. Richardson:

With the 2025 Atlantic hurricane season due to start on June 1, there is increasing doubt that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be able to meet the challenge due to the chaotic leadership of the agency during the first few months of the Trump Administration.  To assure stakeholders and the public that FEMA is ready, I urge you to rehire key staff and provide a detailed plan showing how FEMA will operate during what the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration predicts will be an “above normal” hurricane season.

As you know, the American people rely on FEMA for timely, coordinated support to prepare for, respond to, and recover from hurricanes and other major disasters.  The agency provides direct financial relief to states, localities, and individuals after a disaster, but it also provides technical expertise and funding to help state and local governments prepare for and manage large scale disasters.  Regrettably, because of the Trump Administration’s actions over the last several months, FEMA seems ill-prepared to carry out these responsibilities.

On May 21, Reuters reported that the Administration’s abrupt firing of Acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton and the departure of 16 senior FEMA executives have “disrupted the agency’s planning for hurricane season.”  CNN reported on May 15 that a recent FEMA internal review found that the agency “is not ready” for the start of hurricane season.  According to a May 9 NPR report, the Administration has fired more than 200 FEMA employees and that hundreds more have indicated they are accepting the Administration’s resignation offers.  And a May 23 Washington Post article notes that FEMA faces a backlog of unprocessed emergency declaration requests from prior storms.  These reports inspire little confidence that FEMA is focused on its mission. 

With hurricane season just days away, it is essential that FEMA shows that it is properly staffed and that key leadership positions are held by individuals who have had previous experience as emergency managers during major disasters.  To that end, I urge you to reinstate the professional staff who have left the agency in recent months and provide a detailed plan showing how FEMA will assist states during major disasters.  Additionally, I would caution against adopting any significant changes in FEMA’s processes for approving requests for disasters declarations and disaster assistance without consultation with states, stakeholders, and Congress.  Any changes should be the result of a deliberative process, rather than impromptu actions.

Thank you for your attention in this matter, and I look forward to your prompt reply.

Sincerely,