North Carolina Rep. Chuck Edwards (R) hammered the Federal Emergency Administration Company (FEMA) throughout an interview, saying the company must be overhauled and have a brand new director at its helm.
“Well, we continue to be frustrated with FEMA, their communication, their sensitivity, quite frankly, to those folks who have lost their homes, who are displaced because of the storm,” Edwards, whose district suffered devastating injury and flooding from Hurricane Helene 4 months in the past, mentioned throughout his Tuesday look on NewsNation’s present “The Hill.”
“That is an organization that clearly needs to be overhauled, and I’m anxious to be a part of that after January 20,” he informed host Blake Burman.
Burman then requested the GOP lawmaker how he would modernize the federal government company.
“First of all, we need we need a new director, a new administrator, and we’ve got to change the culture of FEMA,” Edwards mentioned Tuesday. “There’s too much government bureaucracy and not nearly enough caring about the folks that they should be tasked to help.”
The company, tasked with aiding states and communities ravaged by disasters like Hurricanes Helene and Milton, has come beneath fireplace from some residents and lawmakers in late 2024 over its response in Florida and North Carolina.
The scrutiny intensified after considered one of its employees was fired for allegedly advising an help workforce in Florida to not go to properties that displayed indicators favorable to President-elect Trump. FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell was known as to Capitol Hill to testify. The incident additionally led to an inner audit from the Division of Homeland Safety (DHS) Inspector Common Joseph Cuffari which kicked off on Dec. 17.
FEMA additionally been beneath the microscope over its operation in California amid the continued wildfires which have displaced lots of of 1000’s of residents.
Rep. Judy Chu (D-Calif.) pressed the company for reportedly denying help claims over lack of insurance coverage info.
“I am hearing about frustrations with FEMA because they have done what we asked, which is to sign up on the disasterassistance.gov site, and then some of them have gotten denied approvals or non-approvals,” Chu, whose district has been broken by the Eaton Fireplace, mentioned on Tuesday.
Chu inspired constituents to name FEMA instantly if their claims are denied or to go to the brand new catastrophe useful resource middle to “ask what is going on with their application.”
The Hill has reached out to the company for remark.
NewsNation is owned by Nexstar Media Group which additionally owns The Hill.
