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| 13 Aug 2026 | |
| Publications |
Overview
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) leads the nation’s efforts to prepare for, respond to, and recover from disasters, a mission that has grown more demanding as billion-dollar disasters nearly doubled from 14 in 2019 to 27 in 2024. With 52 major disasters or emergencies in the past year across the United States, FEMA faces a persistent challenge in preparing for, responding to, recovering from, and mitigating disasters for all Americans. FEMA has been extensively in the spotlight for the past 10 years, with controversy around its responses, roles, and responsibilities. Calls for reform have been issued by multiple recent presidential administrations, including a 2025 Presidential Action. The FEMA Review Council, created by the 2025 Presidential Action, recently released a final report assessing FEMA and making recommendations for reform, and there is pending legislation in the 119th Congress to reform FEMA.
A brief authored by Data Foundation Senior Fellow Leremy Colf, Ph.D., provides policy options to support FEMA reform in ways that will improve efficiency, decrease costs, and save lives in disasters. The policy options specifically identify areas where reform can have the most impact and eliminate duplicative spending.
