Explainer

What Trump’s FEMA Cuts Mean for Hurricane Season

US Army soldiers offload food and water provided by FEMA from a helicopter during recovery efforts after Hurricane Maria in Utuado, Puerto Rico, in 2017.Photographer: Mario Tama/Getty Images

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By Lauren Rosenthal and Zahra Hirji

June 13, 2025 at 2:16 PM UTC

The Atlantic hurricane season started on June 1 and is predicted to be more active than usual this year. A busy hurricane season would test the Federal Emergency Management Agency in the aftermath of President Donald Trump’s dramatic cuts to its disaster programs.

FEMA — the nation’s top agency for response and recovery work — has endured significant upheaval since Trump’s return to the White House, including firings, voluntary staff departures, grant freezes and canceled initiatives. Instead of nominating a full-term administrator to lead FEMA, which sits under the Department of Homeland Security, Trump has selected a rotating cast of interim chiefs with little disaster response experience.

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