A bipartisan pair of Florida state lawmakers are working together to establish the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as another cabinet-level agency to “reduce deficits, improve government efficiency and save lives.”
D-Fla. Jared Moskowitz and Byron Donalds (R-Fla.) of the company implemented the FEMA Independence Act on Monday. It aims to separate agents from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)'s “bureaucratic maze” and return them to their core mission of providing emergency assistance.
“As the first Director of Emergency Management ever elected to Congress, I have seen firsthand the challenges of preparing, responding and recovery for disaster events. As these emergencies continue to become bigger and broader, the American people deserve an efficient and fast federal response.” “To achieve that, FEMA should be reformed.”
The bill also requires the appointment of directors to lead the agency upon confirmation by the Senate.
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Florida rep Byron Donald, left and Jared Moskowitz have introduced legislation to strip FEMA from DHS. (Getty Images)
According to the bill's text, “You need to have demonstrated competence and knowledge about emergency management and homeland security, and you need more than five years of executive leadership and management experience in the public and private sectors.
Moskowitz highlighted the way FEMA is placed under the “umbrella” of DHS, saying “the setup doesn't work” with about 20 other agents.
“By removing FEMA from the Department of Homeland Security and restoring my status as an independent cabinet-level agency, my bipartisan bill will help reduce deficits, improve government efficiency and save lives,” Moskowitz said. “It also helps to refocus FEMA on the original mission, as an agency tasked with responding before, during and after a disaster event.”
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“Fema is overly bureaucratic, overly politicized, overly inefficient and is necessary to best serve the American people,” Donald said in a statement shared with Fox.
“When a disaster occurs, quick and effective action must be the norm – no exception,” the Republican lawmaker wrote. “It is essential that FEMA is removed from the bureaucratic maze of the DHS and instead designated to report directly to the US president.”
The bill comes two months after President Donald Trump launched the Review Council as part of an initiative to launch “fundamental reform and overhaul.”
“Even though it has mandated nearly $30 billion in disaster aid over the past three years, FEMA has been able to leave vulnerable Americans without the resources or support they need when they need it most,” Trump's order reads. “FEMA has serious concerns about political bias. In fact, at least one former FEMA responder has said that FEMA managers have directed them to avoid private homes supporting President Donald J. Trump's campaign.”
President Donald Trump (Getty Images/File)
FEMA's use of resources has been scrutinized in the past few weeks after the government's efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk, revealed that it allocated $59 million under former President Joe Biden to pay $59 million to New York City to “luxury hotels.”
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Moskowitz said FEMA should be remade, not remanded.
Greg Wehner of Fox News contributed to this report.
