Energy & Environment Noem’s ouster leaves open questions about FEMA’s future by Rachel Frazin - 03/07/26 6:00 AM ET by Rachel Frazin - 03/07/26 6:00 AM ET Share ✕ LinkedIn LinkedIn Email Email NOW PLAYING Questions about the future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) are reemerging because of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s impending departure. Both Noem and President Trump have sought to dramatically reshape the nation’s disaster response agency. Among the most contentious changes so far are Noem’s policy of personally reviewing expenditures of over $100,000, with Democrats and Republicans alike decrying what they’ve described as holdups in getting important funds out the door. A recent lawsuit alleges that the Trump administration  is taking steps to cut FEMA staff , including by not renewing employment for its Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees — though The Associated Press reported  that cuts were halted during February’s winter storm. It’s unclear whether such policies will continue post-Noem. Meanwhile, prior to her exit at the end of the month, Trump’s FEMA Review Council, made up of various federal, state and local officials and co-chaired by Noem and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, may release its recommendations for how to reform the agency. The panel had been slated to release its recommendations in December, but that meeting  was abruptly canceled  and Trump later  signed an executive order  extending the council’s work until March 25.  And while Noem could still be around to set the recommendations, it may be up to Trump’s pick to replace her, Sen. Markwayne Mullin (R-Okla.) to oversee their implementation. All-in-all, the shakeup means further uncertainty for an agency that helps Americans before, during and after disasters and has been in the administration’s crosshairs. For his part, Mullin, who comes from a particularly tornado-prone state,  told NOTUS  last year that FEMA “isn’t bad to work with, they’re just inefficient.” He said that Oklahoma agencies could manage disasters more efficiently because they “live and breathe that neighborhood.” Michael Coen, who was FEMA’s chief of staff during the Biden and Obama administrations, told The Hill that he’s optimistic that Mullin could be an improvement over Noem. “Things can only get better,” he said. “This last year has been a nightmare for the employees of FEMA and for the communities that FEMA serves, due to the micromanagement from Secretary Noem.” Republican critics of the Trump administration’s FEMA policies, including Sen. Thom Tillis (N.C.) have also taken a more optimistic stance toward Mullin. In a post on X,  Tillis called Mullin a “great choice” who would “refocus efforts on quickly distributing disaster aid.” Others critics, such as Rafael Lemaitre, who was FEMA’s public affairs director during the Obama administration, remain skeptical, as Trump himself has been a driving force in reshaping the agency. “I fear it’s going to take a decade to rebuild FEMA from the catastrophic damage that she’s dealt to that agency,” Lemaitre said, referring to Noem. “It’s just been since day one, they’ve politicized disaster response. There’s been a tremendous amount of brain drain that has occurred under her reign as secretary.” “My hope is that things will improve, but you can change the driver, but if you’re still on the same road, you’re going to end up in the same ditch,” he said. In a statement on Noem’s departure, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) credited the secretary with “Fixed Federal Disaster Response and Protecting the American People” “Under the leadership of Secretary Noem, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been reformed to empower states and support state-led recoveries faster than ever,” it said. On Thursday, Trump  announced  he was replacing Noem with Mullin. He said that the change would be effective March 31. The announcement comes amid several scandals at DHS, including not only scrutiny of her handling of disaster aid but also the deaths of U.S. citizens at the hands of immigration officials, questions over a $220 million ad campaign and accusations of stifling inspector general probes. Both Trump and Noem have floated eliminating FEMA entirely, though later shifted their rhetoric toward reforming the agency, saying they want to dole out less disaster aid to states and reduce the federal government’s role.  It’s still unclear what specific changes will come to the agency, though  CNN reported  in December that the review council’s recommendations were slated to include cutting FEMA&rsquo