The Honorable Kristi Noem
Secretary of Homeland Security
2707 Martin Luther King Jr. Avenue, SE
Washington, DC 20528
Dear Secretary Noem:
As Co-Chairs of the Council of Governors, we write to discuss reforms to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and to reaffirm our dedication to working together to ensure it delivers meaningful, effective relief to those impacted by natural disasters—both now and in the future. We appreciate your commitment to working with the Council of Governors and believe that together we can provide the American people peace of mind in knowing when disasters strike, we will have the tools, resources and capabilities to act quickly.
We are grateful for your leadership as Co-Chair of the FEMA Review Council established by Executive Order 14180. The opportunity to take the lessons learned from significant disasters, including Hurricane Helene, and propose actionable reforms to improve coordination among federal, state and local governments is invaluable. This is a critical opportunity to accomplish our shared goal of eliminating bureaucratic obstacles that hinder timely disaster response and recovery.
To support this effort, the Council of Governors is ready to convene disaster response leaders from across our states to develop and share consolidated, clear, practical recommendations. Our goal is to present our recommendations to you and explore how we can work together to enhance state-level capabilities and streamline the deployment of critical disaster resources. Thank you for your leadership and collaboration. We look forward to continuing this important work together.
Sincerely,
Governor Josh Stein
State of North Carolina
Governor Glenn Youngkin
Commonwealth of Virginia
Cc:
The Honorable Pete Hegseth, Secretary, Department of Defense
Mr. M. Roosevelt Ditlevson, Executive Director, Council of Governors
Mr. Alex Meyer, Deputy Assistant to the President and Director of the White House Office of Intergovernmental Affairs
