Story perspectives

FEMA Council Sends Flood Reform Report to White House

5/11/2026

Summary

Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Review Council approved a report Thursday and sent it to the White House.
The report replaces damage-based eligibility with atmospheric-condition metrics, mandates state aid within 30 days, raises caps, moves flood insurance to private markets, though provisions need congressional approval.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the recommendations give direction while environmental and low-income advocates warned they could cut aid to communities.

History

Historical Context

The 2012 Biggert-Waters Flood Insurance Reform Act, championed by Rep. Jim Biggert and Sen. Mary Waters, forced the NFIP to raise rates, producing a ten-fold premium jump and adding to the program’s $24 billion debt. Congress later passed the 2014 Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act to pause those hikes. Now a Trump-appointed FEMA Review Council proposes shifting eligibility to atmospheric metrics, reshaping flood-risk financing.

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Story summary

U.S. President Donald Trump's Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Review Council approved a report Thursday and sent it to the White House.
The report replaces damage-based eligibility with atmospheric-condition metrics, mandates state aid within 30 days, raises caps, moves flood insurance to private markets, though provisions need congressional approval.
DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the recommendations give direction while environmental and low-income advocates warned they could cut aid to communities.

1 / 2