As California Fires Still Burn, Trump Considers Shuttering FEMA

President Donald Trump said he was considering scrapping the federal emergency response agency FEMA during a trip to disaster zones in North Carolina. Trump blasted the agency for having “let the country down,” and said it could be less involved in recovery efforts in the future. He leveled the criticism during an appearance in Asheville, North Carolina, which was devastated by Hurricane Helene floods last year, before he heads to survey fire damage in California. FEMA has been in the political cross-hairs since the October storms that hit North Carolina stoked a wave of claims—debunked or unsubstantiated—that it was withholding aid to Republican communities. Trump himself on the campaign trail charged FEMA with having spent its funds on “illegal migrants,” in remarks rejected by the Biden administration. Earlier this week, Trump floated turning over disaster assistance to individual states rather than having the federal government respond, and installed a former Navy SEAL with no obvious disaster management experience as interim head of the agency. Trump doesn’t have the authority to fold FEMA—only Congress has that power. But the scrutiny over the agency’s response comes at a time when it’s still actively dealing with deadly wildfires in San Diego and Los Angeles, which are likely to be some of the most expensive in US history. Scientists have long warned the very kind of natural disasters FEMA is supposed to respond to will become more dangerous and more expensive thanks to man-made climate change, something Trump has signaled he’s not interested in addressing.

Howard Lutnick, President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Commerce Department detailed his wealth and influence across 800 entities in a complicated ethics disclosure. The filing (part of the cabinet confirmation procedure) showed the chief executive officer of Wall Street investment bank and brokerage Cantor Fitzgerald had assets worth at least $806 million. Lutnick also confirmed he’ll divest his interests in the three core firms that constitute his business group: Cantor Fitzgerald, brokerage BGC Group and Newmark Group. He left open the possibility that his adult children, two of whom work for his companies, could buy stakes in the firms. There’s been much speculation about who will take over for Lutnick at his real estate firms. Meanwhile, Trump’s embattled nominee for Defense Secretary, Pete Hegseth, faces a final Senate confirmation vote Friday night, and some in Trump’s camp are wondering why two banking watchdogs from President Joe Biden’s administration haven’t been fired yet.