senators grow a backbone--in secret

The future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and emergency management has been writ large and in the news since the beginning of the Trump Administration. Will FEMA be eliminated as a federal agency? Will FEMA be moved to Texas? How much funding will the federal government award via grants to states and local governments, before, during and after a disaster? Will the elimination of all mitigation grants continue into the future? What level of disaster will be supported by the federal level of government.

Many of these questions have been discussed here in this blog during 2025. While we all hold our breath to see if the FEMA Advisory Council that was established to look at the future of FEMA advised (if it ever gets to have its report published). We wait and wait to see the next move by the administration. It has been over a month since the report was to have been released on December 12th.

Then there was this news item, Senators hold bipartisan secret meeting to reshape FEMA

That is a glimmer of hope that reasonable people may step into the fray and calm the waters of drastic changes to ensure that the function of emergency management is preserved at the federal level and supported at the state and local levels of government. The news item shows that there are those in Congress who understand the implications for what has been done and is likely to be done to FEMA without legislative oversight.

However, there is a significant issue with even Congress trying to assert its authority. There is the Unitary executive theory which is actively being practiced within the Trump Administration. That theory keeps Congress’ authority at bay—basically appropriate whatever you want, but it is up to the President to decide what funding will be spent where and on what. That monetary approach to congressional appropriations is specifically called “impoundment” and was authorized by a 1974 Act  

2026 is likely to be a tempestuous year moving forward. Like the creature in the Alien movies, the future will be revealed piece by piece, scene by scene.