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AUSTIN, Texas — Texas Gov. Greg Abbott is taking on an additional role with a new federal committee. On Monday, President Donald Trump announced the members selected to join the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Review Council, which will analyze the agency's current operations.
The new council is made up of 13 members, including Abbott and Texas Division of Emergency Management Chief Nim Kidd. It will be run by Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, with additional support from Tampa Mayor Jane Castor, Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin, former Mississippi Gov.
Phil Bryant and others. On Tuesday, Abbott released a statement announcing his role with the council and expressing gratitude toward President Trump. "I look forward to bringing Texas' proven leadership in emergency management to the national conversation to ensure FEMA bolsters its role as a true partner to state and local governments," Abbott wrote in part.
What will the FEMA Review Council do? The review council was originally created in January to inform President Trump "on the existing capability of FEMA to capably and impartially address disasters occurring within the United States" and to provide any suggestions for improvements to the organization, according to the Department of Homeland Security. The Trump administration stated it wants to address "serious concerns of political bias" within FEMA, as well as the spending of funds on undocumented people and a lack of distributed resources. The president has also criticized the agency's response to Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in North Carolina in September 2024.
He stated that disaster relief crews were too slow to respond to the deadly storm. Last month, President Trump directed state and local governments to take stronger initiative for disaster preparations, after repeatedly threatening to eliminate FEMA all together. Since 1979, FEMA has worked to prepare for and respond to disasters like hurricanes, wildfires, terrorist attacks and more.
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