Briefly: Get Caught Up On All the FEMA News

There has been a lot happening on the FEMA front these past few weeks. A quick roundup of the top news items:

1. Kristi Noem’s (and Corey Lewandowski’s) departure (ouster) from DHS is major news, in-part because the duo was responsible for the administrative bottleneck that held up billions of dollars in FEMA money and contracts during the first 14 months of the administration.

2. Oklahoma Senator Markwayne Mullin is President Trump’s nominee to replace Noem as the Secretary of DHS, and will very likely be confirmed by the Senate. In his confirmation hearings yesterday, Mullin discussed his approach to FEMA and made news by:

   1. Saying that he is in favor of reforming FEMA, not eliminating it (the same stance that got former acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton in hot water);

   2. Saying that he would eliminate Noem’s unpopular policy of reviewing every contract over $100,000, which has caused massive delays in the approval of FEMA funds;

   3. Saying that he would support the appointment of a qualified, permanent Administrator for the agency, which has been operating under a series of acting administrators since the inauguration;

   4. Saying that he would work more closely with the Senate on the FEMA Review Council report (yet to be published) and recommendations; and

   5. Stopping short of saying that he would keep the agency’s staffing at or near current levels.

3. FEMA confirmed on Wednesday that it would follow a court order to relaunch the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, which should come as a huge relief to states and communities that are still waiting on awarded funds.

4. The ongoing DHS shutdown continues to impact FEMA, including the cancellation of many training and education programs that emergency managers rely on to maintain their certifications.

5. A federal judge declined to impose a temporary injunction against FEMA’s non-renewal of CORE contracts, saying that it isn’t clear that the moves to downsize the agency’s workforce are unlawful.