Trump announced the formation of the council in a Jan. 24 executive order. On Monday, he appointed 13 people to the council, including two of his Cabinet members. He praised the appointees as “Top Experts” who are “Highly Respected” by their peers.
Included were Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, as well as Govs. Greg Abbott (R-TX) and Glenn Youngkin (R-VA).
Trump also touted the inclusions of former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant, Republican National Committee Chairman Michael Whatley, Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, Florida Division of Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie, Texas Division of Emergency Management chief W. Nim Kidd, Miami-Dade County Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz, Mark Cooper, Bob Fenton, and Evan Greenberg.
“I know that the new Members will work hard to fix a terribly broken System, and return power to State Emergency Managers, who will help, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN. Congratulations to all!” Trump wrote on Truth Social.
Trump’s January executive action cited problems with FEMA’s response to Hurricane Helene as a reason for needing an overhaul of the agency. He claimed political bias and support for illegal immigrants as necessitating an intervention.
“There are serious concerns of political bias in FEMA,” the executive order read. “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. And it has lost mission focus, diverting limited staff and resources to support missions beyond its scope and authority, spending well over a billion dollars to welcome illegal aliens.”
TRUMP TAKES AIM AT FEMA IN NEW EXECUTIVE ORDER
The council’s goal will be to produce a report after one year that includes an assessment of FEMA’s responses to disasters in the last four years, including whether it is sufficiently staffed, a comparison of FEMA’s responses to disasters with local and state responses, a historical background of FEMA’s founding and how the country responded to disasters before its existence, and more.
The inclusion of Hegseth and Noem will likely draw criticism, as they are two of Trump’s most controversial Cabinet members.
This article was originally published at www.washingtonexaminer.com
