Letter to Congress Opposing Cuts to Federal Emergency Management Agency
Letter to Congress Opposing Cuts to FEMA
April 14, 2025
Dear Member of Congress,
We, the undersigned consumer protection, disaster recovery, climate, science and resilience, housing and environmental justice organizations, and more, urge Congress to oppose Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s calls to dismantle the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)—the agency responsible for helping state, local, tribal, and territorial governments prepare for and recover from disasters—as she guts key resilience, preparedness, and disaster recovery programs.
The administration’s calls to transfer the burden of disaster preparedness and response obligations to state and local governments by gutting FEMA or eliminating the agency altogether are dangerously out of step with reality. Climate-driven extreme weather is ravaging our communities. From the deadly back-to-back Hurricanes Milton and Helene last fall, to this year’s devastating LA wildfires and recent historic heavy rainfall and extensive flooding across Southern and Midwest states, American communities need resources to prepare for and recover from more frequent and severe extreme weather.
Communities benefit from federal assistance like FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program that helps them strengthen infrastructure and mitigate the impacts of disasters. Research shows that investing in disaster preparedness and resilience saves money in the long run, in addition to safeguarding livelihoods—and saving lives.
Shifting the responsibility for disaster recovery to state governments—many of which are already under-resourced—is dangerous. States, especially smaller ones or those hit repeatedly by extreme weather, don’t have the capacity and resources needed to respond to today’s scale of climate-related disasters on their own. FEMA plays a vital role in stepping in to support state and local governments when hurricanes, wildfires, and floods overwhelm them, helping to repair roads and bridges, clear debris, and provide direct aid like food, shelter, and emergency assistance to survivors. The toll of increasingly severe climate disasters is stark. Last year alone, states across the U.S. were slammed with 27 billion-dollar disasters. Without a well-resourced and functioning FEMA, communities will be left without the lifesaving resources they need when a major disaster hits.
FEMA also administers the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) that provides flood insurance to millions of Americans. While NFIP has serious challenges that must be addressed, it is the main–and sometimes only–flood insurance option available to most homeowners in flood-prone areas. It needs a strong, well-sourced agency to administer and enforce the policies. Dismantling FEMA puts this program in serious limbo and creates uncertainty for families that need to protect their homes and assets from inevitable flooding.
FEMA remains one of the few federal lifelines for communities trying to recover and rebuild from extreme weather, climate-related impacts, natural hazards, and other events. Now is the time for Congress to stand against unjustified attacks against FEMA and reject senseless cuts that will leave communities defenseless when a catastrophic disaster hits. Dismantling federal emergency preparedness programs is a direct threat to the safety, stability, and recovery of millions of Americans.
Sincerely,
Public Citizen
198 methods
A House Unbuilt
Alabama Interfaith Power & Light
Americans for Financial Reform
Appalachian Citizens’ Law Center
Carrizo/Comecrudo Nation of Texas
Center for Economic Justice
Center for Insurance Research
Coalition for Home Repair
Connecticut Citizen Action Group (CCAG)
Consumer Action
Consumer Federation of America
Extreme Weather Survivors
Fair Housing Center of Central Indiana
For a Better Bayou
Freeport Haven Project
Friends of the Earth
Greater New Orleans Housing Alliance (GNOHA)
Greenpeace USA
Health Care Without Harm
Hispanic Access Foundation
HousingLOUISIANA
HousingNOLA
Illinois Environmental Council
Iowa Environmental Council
Kentucky Waterways Alliance
League of Conservation Voters
Louisiana Bucket Brigade
MARBE SA
New York Communities for Change, NYCC
One Mississippi
Partnership for Policy Integrity
Prairie Rivers Network
Presente.org
Stand.earth
The Center for NYC Neighborhoods, Inc.
The National Coalition for Asian Pacific American Community Development (National CAPACD)
The People’s Justice Council
The Phoenix Group
Third Act Illinois
Turtle Island Restoration Network
Upper Mississippi River chapter of the Izaak Walton League
Union of Concerned Scientists