Last week, Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D) suggested that the Department of Homeland Security should be broken up and that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Secret Service should instead respond to the White House. The idea has now gained bipartisan support as Florida Rep. Byron Donalds (R) believes that FEMA should be a stand-alone agency that reports to the White House.
FEMA has amassed overwhelming controversy in recent weeks. After it was uncovered that FEMA officials were directed not to help Trump supporters in Florida with hurricane relief, a senior official was fired, and bipartisan condemnation ensued.
During a House Oversight Committee meeting earlier this month, Rep. Moskowitz called on the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) to investigate the DHS, noting that the department "is very important but has simply gotten too big & is a bureaucratic mess." As such, Rep. Moskowitz suggested that FEMA and the Secret Service instead report to the White House.
Rep. Donalds endorsed the idea this week, citing FEMA's inefficiency and ineffectiveness during times of need.
At this point, FEMA has largely become an accounting agency & they are not cutting it.
FEMA should be a STAND-ALONE agency that directly reports to the White House–not a part of DHS.
We need a FEMA that rapidly responds to emergencies.
We need a FEMA that better serves us all. pic.twitter.com/XxPFQc5oxf
— Byron Donalds (@ByronDonalds) November 26, 2024
In an interview with Spectrum News, the Florida lawmaker argued that the agency should no longer respond to the DHS, adding that it "FEMA has largely become an accounting agency & they are not cutting it."
"When FEMA comes on the ground, they offer $750 to people who are in need. The problem is that you have to go online to apply for that," Rep. Donalds explained. "Typically, they don't have power. Typically, they don't have stores that are open to even spend that," he added.
"FEMA will tell you that people typically are declined the first time they apply, so I know that residents have to get with congressional offices in order to get their application re-put again to then get approved, and that's before you even get to the other issues of getting help from FEMA."
