WASHINGTON D.C. — Today, Rep. Dale Strong (R-AL), chairman of the House Homeland Security Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology, announced a hearing for Tuesday, March 4, 2025, to evaluate the current role of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), particularly its handling of taxpayer dollars, expanding mission sets, and its coordination with state and local governments in response to natural disasters and emergencies.
 
“For nearly fifty years, Americans in every corner of this country have turned to FEMA for help when disaster hits,” Chairman Strong said. “Alongside President Trump and his administration, the Committee will continue to conduct oversight and examine reforms within the agency to ensure it works effectively and efficiently to serve Americans in need. After four decades of experience as a first responder, I am honored to start my tenure as subcommittee chairman by hearing valuable insight from the emergency management community on how we can strike a better balance between FEMA and state governments in this effort.”
  
DETAILS:  
 
What: A Subcommittee on Emergency Management and Technology hearing entitled “Future of FEMA: Perspectives from the Emergency Management Community.” 

When: Tuesday, March 4, 2025, at 10:00 AM ET 
 
Where: 310 Cannon House Office Building 
 
WITNESSES:

Jeff Smitherman
Director, Alabama Emergency Management Agency

Daniel Kaniewski, Ph.D.
Managing Director of the Public Sector, Marsh McLennan

Carrie Speranza, CEM
President, U.S. Council of the International Association of Emergency Managers

Timothy Manning 
Former Deputy Administrator for Protection and National Preparedness, Federal Emergency Management Agency
  
Witness testimony will be added here. The hearing will be livestreamed on YouTube and will be opened to the public and the press. Press must be congressionally credentialed and should RSVP.

BACKGROUND:
 
Last year, House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Mark E. Green, MD (R-TN) requested transcribed interviews with former and current FEMA employees regarding reports of political discrimination influencing FEMA’s response to victims of Hurricane Milton.
 
On October 25, 2024, Chairman Strong joined a bipartisan delegation led by Chairman Green to Asheville, North Carolina, to tour areas impacted by Hurricane Helene and receive a briefing on FEMA’s response, along with other federal, state, and local partners. 
 
On October 11, 2024, Chairman Green sent a letter to former Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas demanding answers about the Biden administration’s use of FEMA funds for programs to assist illegal aliens after claiming the agency would not have the funds to make it through hurricane season.
 
On October 5, 2024, former Chairman Anthony D’Esposito (R-NY) sent a letter to FEMA probing the agency’s use of advance forecasting and rainfall modeling in preparation for Hurricane Helene after reports indicated FEMA’s initial interpretation may have contributed to the agency’s lack of preparedness to respond in Southeastern communities, especially in North Carolina.

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