Last month, President Donald Trump suggested weaning off FEMA.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during a press briefing.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt speaks during the daily press briefing in the Brady Press Briefing Room at the White House in Washington, on July 7, 2025. | Andrew Harnik/Getty Images

The White House on Monday opened the door to salvaging the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which President Donald Trump last month suggested should be phased out.

The about-face follows devastating flooding that ravaged Texas over the weekend and claimed the lives of at least 80 people, including more than two dozen children.

“The president wants to ensure American citizens always have what they need during times of need,” press secretary Karoline Leavitt said when asked if Trump was reconsidering his plan to wind down the agency. “Whether that assistance comes from states or the federal government, that is a policy discussion that will continue.”

Trump has criticized FEMA’s handling of catastrophes in North Carolina and elsewhere, and on the campaign trail falsely claimed money for disaster aid was being funnelled into housing undocumented immigrants. The president has canceled billions of dollars of grants at the agency and last month floated “wean[ing] off” FEMA and bringing it “to the state level.”

“A governor should be able to handle it, and frankly, if they can’t handle it, the aftermath, then maybe they shouldn’t be governor,” Trump said in June.

Trump on Sunday approved a FEMA major disaster declaration in the state, opening up federal funding for disaster relief and emergency work.

“The president has promised to give Texas the assistance that they need during this tragic time,” Leavitt said.

Gregory Svirnovskiy contributed to this report.