Moskowitz, Donalds Introduce Bipartisan FEMA Independence Act to Restore FEMA’s Status as an Independent, Cabinet-Level Agency and Create a More Efficient, Effective FEMA

WASHINGTON, DC — Congressman Jared Moskowitz (D-FL-23) announced that he just introduced his FEMA Independence Act, a bipartisan bill to reform federal emergency management and improve efficiency in federal emergency response efforts. This legislation would remove the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and restore it as an independent, Cabinet-level agency reporting directly to the President. It would also stipulate that FEMA’s Senate-confirmed leader must have “a demonstrated ability in and knowledge of emergency management and homeland security” across the public and private sectors.

Moskowitz previously introduced his FEMA Independence Act during the 118^th Congress, and as Florida’s former Emergency Management Director, the legislation remains a top priority of his to reform federal emergency management. He is joined on the bill’s introduction by Congressman Byron Donalds (R-FL-19).

“As the first Emergency Management Director ever elected to Congress, I’ve seen firsthand the challenges preparing for, responding to, and recovering from disaster events. As these emergencies continue to grow larger and more widespread, the American people deserve a federal response that is efficient and fast. To achieve that, FEMA should be reformed,” said Congressman Moskowitz. “FEMA currently sits under the bureaucracy of the Department of Homeland Security—and with around 20 other agencies and offices under that umbrella, the set-up simply doesn’t work. DHS has become too big and too slow to oversee what needs to be a quick and flexible emergency response.

“By removing FEMA from the Department of Homeland Security and restoring its status as an independent, Cabinet-level agency, my bipartisan bill will help cut red tape, improve government efficiency, and save lives. It will also help refocus FEMA on its original mission: as an agency tasked with responding before, during, and after disaster events. FEMA is meant to be an emergency management agency, but right now, it functions more as a grant agency with emergency management capabilities. This commonsense bill will help set those priorities back where they should be. I look forward to my colleagues taking up this bipartisan proposal so we can continue to build a more seamless federal response to emergency situations wherever and whenever they occur.”

“FEMA has become overly-bureaucratic, overly-politicized, overly-inefficient, and substantial change is needed to best serve the American people,” said Congressman Donalds. “When disaster strikes, quick and effective action must be the standard––not the exception. It is imperative that FEMA is removed from the bureaucratic labyrinth of DHS and instead is designated to report directly to the President of the United States. I am proud to join Congressman Moskowitz in this innovative initiative to ensure the most efficient disaster relief response for the American people.”

Under Moskowitz’s bipartisan FEMA Independence Act, FEMA would become a Cabinet-level agency within the U.S. Executive Branch. Its Director would be appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate under the requisite qualifications, and it would have up to four Deputy Directors subject to Senate confirmation and ten Regional Directors chosen by the Director. FEMA would carry out all responsibilities given to it prior to the enactment of the FEMA Independence Act, including under the Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act, and it would have an Inspector General and associated Office of the Inspector General.

From its activation in 1979 until the Homeland Security Act of 2002, the Federal Emergency Management Agency lived within the federal government as an independent agency under the White House, including as a Cabinet-level agency during the Clinton Administration. The Department of Homeland Security absorbed it in 2003, even as then-Director Michael Brown warned that doing so would “sever FEMA from its core functions.”

FEMA currently sits within the U.S. Department of Homeland Security alongside around 20 other incorporated agencies, including U.S. Customs and Border Protection, the Transportation Security Administration, the U.S. Coast Guard, and more. Under the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006, its Administrator was named the principal advisor to the President of the United States for all matters related to emergency management.

Before entering Congress, Moskowitz served as Florida’s Director of Emergency Management from 2019-2021. In this role, Moskowitz oversaw disaster response and recovery for the DeSantis Administration for major events like the COVID-19 pandemic and the Category 5 Hurricane Michael.

Since coming to Congress, Moskowitz has been a leading voice for fully funding FEMA, keeping emergency response nonpartisan, and enacting commonsense reforms to bolster federal emergency management. He has served as co-chair of the Bipartisan Congressional Disaster Preparedness and Recovery Caucus.

For more information on Moskowitz’s bipartisan FEMA Independence Act, click HERE.

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