By Katherine Tinsley
1:25am PDT, Mar 26, 2025
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According to CBS News' White House reporter Jennifer Jacobs, Kristi Noem wants to dismantle the agency.
"'We are going to eliminate FEMA,' @Sec_Noem says in Cabinet meeting with [Donald] Trump," Jacobs wrote on Monday, March 24, on X.
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Senator Pete Welch of Vermont discussed Donald Trump's administration's decision.
"The Trump Administration's grand plan for victims of natural disasters is to abandon them—and it's a complete non-starter," Welch said in a statement.
Eliminating FEMA's ability to respond after a disaster hits would be catastrophic — not only for flood victims in Vermont — but for hurricane victims in the Carolinas, tornado victims in Kansas and wildfire victims in California.
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In recent years, wildfires, hurricanes and more have devastated communities across the U.S.
"This rash decision will harm ongoing disaster recovery efforts, and make it impossible to respond after the next natural disaster," Pete Welch continued.
"I'm the first to say we need to reform and improve FEMA, but we can't do that if the agency has been illegally demolished," he added.
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New York Governor Kathy Hochul also shared her disappointment in Kristi Noem's comments.
"Trump's DHS Secretary just said: 'We will eliminate FEMA.' I've seen the toll hurricanes, snowstorms and floods take on our communities," Hochul wrote on X.
"I've met New Yorkers who've lost everything to extreme weather. They deserve to know that government will be there when disaster strikes," she added.
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X users took to the platform to discuss the potential consequences.
"Sure, shut down FEMA right before hurricane season," one person wrote. "God, these people."
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Another user claimed Donald Trump and his cabinet were negatively affecting the country.
"They're messing with our economy and national security," one Z user stated. "They have eliminated extreme weather warning systems & want to dismantle FEMA."
"They have disabled some intelligence systems that monitor our enemies," they continued. "They're erasing health info. I have never felt more vulnerable in my life."
