| Donald Trump traveled to Texas today to view the recovery efforts following deadly flooding as the future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is up in the air. The president has long railed at FEMA over its response to disasters, particularly under his predecessor Joe Biden, casting the agency as ineffective and calling for its overhaul. In March he signed an executive order to shift disaster preparations from FEMA to states and local governments, not long after the agency, which was already short-staffed, fired about 200 people. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem on Wednesday called for FEMA to be “eliminated as it exists today.”  Trump, Texas Governor Greg Abbott and first lady Melania Trump meet with local officials. Photographer: BRENDAN SMIALOWSKI/AFP But the president appears to have walked back from the idea of of abolishing the agency — at least until after the hurricane season, which some projections have shown could be particularly active and deadly this year. He said last weekend that FEMA’s future was “something we can talk about later, but right now they’re busy working, so we’ll leave it at that.” More: Trump Says FEMA Phaseout to Begin After Hurricane Season The Washington Post reported today that administration officials now say abolishing FEMA outright isn’t on the agenda, and that changes may just be a “rebranding“ that will prioritize state leaders’ roles in disaster response. While in Texas, Trump praised the agency’s leadership and sought to draw a distinction with the Biden administration. “We have some good people running FEMA,” he said. “It's about time, right?” Still, some changes are already evident. While FEMA and the US Coast Guard have deployed resources to assist state and local authorities and aid in the search and recovery efforts, Politico’s E&E News reported that acting FEMA administrator David Richardson hasn’t made the trip to Texas. The agency has also been rejecting requests for resiliency money for states hoping to better prepare for future storms. The debate over FEMA’s fate is happening against the backdrop of the tragedy in Texas, which left at least 120 people dead and more than 170 missing. Abolishing or substantially shrinking FEMA would reshape disaster assistance. The agency currently allocates grants to state governments and direct payments to disaster survivors and oversees the deployment of staff and resources both immediately before and after a disaster. And it could be difficult for states to replace that work and funding. For now, the president must confront a reality that at least some of his voters are expecting a federal response. — Hadriana Lowenkron | 
