White House Abruptly Halts Final Meeting Of FEMA Review Council Created Under Trump

White House officials unexpectedly postponed the final meeting of the Trump-created FEMA Review Council on Thursday, stopping a vote on the task force’s long-awaited recommendations just two hours before the session was set to begin. Members of the council, all appointed by the Trump administration, had been preparing to finalize a report outlining major structural changes to the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

According to multiple sources, White House officials objected to the council’s proposed reforms after reviewing the latest draft in recent days. They argued that the recommendations did not include enough procedural changes that could realistically be implemented before the end of Trump’s term. One White House official told CNN the meeting was canceled because senior staff had not been fully briefed on the report, despite some Department of Homeland Security personnel believing they had provided the necessary information.

The proposal at the center of the dispute became public Wednesday following CNN’s reporting, which revealed sweeping recommendations including cutting FEMA’s workforce in half, shifting most federal disaster aid to a block grant system, raising the threshold for states to qualify for federal assistance, and renaming the agency. Notably, the council did not recommend eliminating FEMA entirely, a step President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have repeatedly referenced.

Noem, who co-chairs the council, pushed back against the White House’s concerns and attempted to move forward with the meeting. But by midday Thursday, the White House moved to postpone it. In a striking moment, Noem appeared unaware of the cancellation while testifying before Congress, telling lawmakers she needed to leave early to co-chair the meeting that had already been called off.

The first sign of trouble for DHS came when council staff arrived at the White House on Thursday morning and discovered their access had been disabled. Only then were they informed that the meeting had been canceled. Several council members were also told at the last minute to stand down as they prepared to travel to the session.

The report itself has been shaped by months of closed-door negotiations and political tension. One of the most debated issues is whether FEMA should remain under the Department of Homeland Security. A number of state officials, agency veterans, and some council members argued that FEMA needs greater independence, reflecting overwhelming public comments in favor of separating it from DHS. Noem, however, opposed the move, and the final draft recommends keeping FEMA within DHS, preserving her oversight of its $25 billion budget.

The future of the council’s recommendations now depends on whether the White House reschedules the vote and how it chooses to address the internal disagreements over FEMA’s direction.

Credit: CNN Newsource

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