Fema in crisis: agency struggles through year of leadership turmoil and delayed disaster response

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) concluded a chaotic 2025 with the departure of acting director David Richardson, marking the third leadership change in a single year. Since President Trump took office in January with promises to abolish FEMA, the agency has faced a 10% workforce reduction and ongoing internal instability that has directly impacted its ability to respond to climate disasters.

The agency’s dysfunction became tragically apparent during devastating floods in Central Texas in July, which killed 135 people. Due to new bureaucratic requirements mandating Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s personal approval for expenditures over $100,000, critical aid was delayed for over three days. Richardson, who reportedly had no emergency management experience and was unreachable during the July 4th weekend disaster, struggled to secure necessary approvals for swiftwater rescue teams. Compounding the crisis, nearly two-thirds of calls to FEMA’s emergency assistance line went unanswered due to severe understaffing.

Despite the Trump administration’s initial threats to dismantle FEMA, a leaked draft report from a presidential review council recommends preserving and actually strengthening the agency by elevating it to cabinet-level status. This would give FEMA direct access to the president rather than operating under the Department of Homeland Security, potentially improving disaster response times. However, with Karen Evans now serving as the third interim director in one year—bringing cybersecurity rather than disaster response experience—experts worry about FEMA’s capacity to handle increasingly severe climate-related emergencies as the agency continues operating without permanent leadership.