President Trump’s emergency manager is pressing states to bolster their financial reserves so they can respond to disasters fast and not rely on federal help.
Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Cameron Hamilton made the case Tuesday during a conference in Little Rock, Arkansas.
Mr. Hamilton told states to set aside more money “to ensure that recovery efforts can start immediately and not necessarily be held up simply because of the federal [disaster] declaration process.”
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He added, according to a recording of the remarks obtained by Politico, “A future that I hope we would shoot for is one where we wouldn’t require as many disasters because the capability of states is so high and so substantial.”
Mr. Cameron’s push reflects Mr. Trump’s longstanding effort to reduce FEMA’s role or even eliminate the federal agency.
The president signed an order in early 2025 that urges states to “play a more active and significant role” in disaster response.
“I say you don’t need FEMA, you need a good state government,” Mr. Trump said while visiting Los Angeles on Jan. 24, 2025, to survey fire damage. “FEMA is a very expensive, in my opinion, mostly failed situation.”
During his first term, Mr. Trump urged states to take responsibility for responding to the COVID-19 crisis early on. Eventually, he pivoted to a major federal role in securing supplies, medical equipment and facilities.
States often request federal help after major tornadoes, hurricanes or other disasters. Presidents approve the assistance, opening the door to federal help through increased funding and recovery personnel.
It is unclear if states can backfill federal funds and assistance. States have statutory requirements to balance their budgets, so they do not have the same financial flexibility as the federal government, which can run deficits and pay for emergencies and other items.
A FEMA-sponsored report this month found many state emergency agencies are underfunded and cannot maintain enough staff.
“The most common barrier to obtaining greater funding was lack of political will among state elected officials and competition between [emergency management] and other state priorities,” the report said.
Mr. Cameron told states that self-reliance would allow states to recover more quickly because locals would not have to wait for a federal declaration.
Mr. Trump is still authorizing emergency assistance. He often announces the approvals on Truth Social.
However, Mr. Cameron warned states that changes to the process could begin “in the next six months.”
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