Overview
- The FEMA Review Council, which released its 75-page final report Thursday, sent the package to President Trump without a formal White House endorsement.
- The plan would replace the per-capita damage test with parametric triggers that use pre-set measures like wind speed or flood depth to qualify events for federal help.
- States would receive upfront disaster payments within 30 days instead of reimbursements, and survivor aid would shift to a single check with housing help only for uninhabitable homes.
- The council urges moving most National Flood Insurance Program policies to the private market and pursuing multi-year workforce reductions after a staffing review, stepping back from a draft that floated a 50% cut.
- Disaster groups and experts warn the shift could strain state budgets and leave low-income survivors with less support, and most proposals would still require new laws from Congress before taking effect.