Republican, Dem lawmakers join forces to reform ‘inefficient’ FEMA, detach agency from DHS

A bipartisan pair of Florida lawmakers is teaming up to establish the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as a separate Cabinet-level agency in an effort to “cut red tape, improve government efficiency, and save lives.”

Reps. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., and Byron Donalds, R-Fla., introduced the FEMA Independence Act on Monday, which aims to detach the agency from the “bureaucratic labyrinth” of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and return it to its core mission of providing emergency aid.

“As the first Emergency Management Director ever elected to Congress, I’ve seen firsthand the challenges of preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disaster events. As these emergencies continue to grow larger and more widespread, the American people deserve a federal response that is efficient and fast,” Moskowitz said in a statement shared with Fox News Digital. “To achieve that, FEMA should be reformed.”

The bill would also require that a director be appointed to lead the agency upon confirmation by the Senate.

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The director would be required to have “a demonstrated ability in and knowledge of emergency management and homeland security” and no less than five years of executive leadership and management experience in the public and private sectors, according to the bill text.

Moskowitz highlighted how FEMA sits under the “umbrella” of DHS with about 20 other agencies, saying, “The set-up simply doesn’t work.” 

“By removing FEMA from the Department of Homeland Security and restoring its status as an independent, cabinet-level agency, my bipartisan bill will help cut red tape, improve government efficiency, and save lives,” Moskowitz said. “It will also help refocus FEMA on its original mission: as an agency tasked with responding before, during, and after disaster events.”

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Donalds, in a statement shared with Fox, said, “FEMA has become overly bureaucratic, overly politicized, overly inefficient, and substantial change is needed to best serve the American people.” 

“When disaster strikes, quick and effective action must be the standard – not the exception,” the Republican congressman wrote. “It is imperative that FEMA is removed from the bureaucratic labyrinth of DHS and instead is designated to report directly to the President of the United States.”

The bill comes two months after President Donald Trump launched a review council as part of an initiative to begin “fundamentally reforming and overhauling” the agency.

“Despite obligating nearly $30 billion in disaster aid each of the past three years, FEMA has managed to leave vulnerable Americans without the resources or support they need when they need it most,” Trump’s order reads. “There are serious concerns of political bias in FEMA. Indeed, at least one former FEMA responder has stated that FEMA managers directed her to avoid homes of individuals supporting the campaign of Donald J. Trump for President.”

FEMA’s use of resources has also come under scrutiny in the past few weeks after the Department of Government Efficiency, led by billionaire Elon Musk, revealed that the agency, under former President Joe Biden, allocated $59 million to New York City to pay for “luxury hotels” for illegal immigrants.

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Moskowitz said FEMA should be reworked rather than abolished.

Fox News’ Greg Wehner contributed to this report.