Following the 2024 U.S. presidential election, local officials in Puerto Rico are facing new challenges in securing federal disaster aid. Recent developments within the Trump administration have cast uncertainty over the future of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), prompting Puerto Rican leadership to explore alternative funding measures (San Juan Daily Star 1). The Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resilience (COR3) announced that it is evaluating supplemental strategies to ensure the continuous flow of FEMA funds to the island (San Juan Daily Star 1).
This concern was sparked by President Trump’s response to visiting North Carolina and California, both sites of recent natural disasters.”I say you don’t need FEMA, you need a good state government,” Trump remarked while visiting the site of Los Angeles wildfires in January (NPR). On March 19th, President Trump signed an executive order declaring “preparedness is most effectively owned and managed at the State, local, and even individual levels” and that the local governments needed to “play a more active and significant role” in emergency response (The White House). Additionally, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees FEMA, has vowed to eliminate FEMA (CNN). While Trump and Noem do not have the authority to dismantle FEMA without congressional approval, they have moved forward with internal restructuring, including budget cuts, hiring freezes, and layoffs within FEMA (ABC, NPR).
However, on March 6, 2025, Homeland Security Secretary Noem visited Puerto Rico (AP). During her visit, she met with Puerto Rico Governor Jennifer González Colón and discussed rebuilding Puerto Rico’s energy grid and ensuring “that people are going to get the help that they need and that they were promised” from the federal government (AP).
States across the U.S. have already felt the consequences of the Trump administration’s approach. FEMA’s Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program, which supported climate adaptation projects, has been slashed (CPI). Florida, for example, lost nearly $300 million in planned flood protection and hurricane readiness grants (Tampa Bay Times). Puerto Rico lost over $3 million in funds meant for local climate resiliency initiatives (CPI).
Puerto Rico’s Non-Federal Match Program may help buffer the effects of federal changes. This program makes FEMA funds more accessible and reduces the financial strain on local and municipal governments by providing funds to meet FEMA match requirements (Recuperación PR). This allows reconstruction projects to proceed even when FEMA payments are delayed (Recuperación PR). The program is funded through Community Development Block Grant–Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) allocations awarded to Puerto Rico by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, and frees up funding that would be otherwise used to fulfill the FEMA match requirement (Recuperación PR).
Despite setbacks, Colón remains committed to securing federal funding for Puerto Rico’s infrastructure and has secured $44.8 million from FEMA for disbursement across the island (San Juan Daily Star 2). Colón has regularly reiterated her administration’s commitment to efficient fund distribution and transparency and COR3 Director Soria Rivera plans to work closely with local municipalities and NGOs for optimal and efficient reconstruction (San Juan Daily Star 2).
Sources:
ABC: https://abcnews.go.com/Politics/trump-terminate-fema-fast/story?id=118076946
CNN: https://www.cnn.com/2025/03/26/politics/fema-payments-staffing-stalled-turmoil/index.html
CPI (Centro de Periodismo Investigativo): https://periodismoinvestigativo.com/2025/04/puerto-rico-fema-climate-funding-cuts/
NPR:https://www.npr.org/2025/03/21/nx-s1-5327595/trump-order-fema-states-disaster-response
Recuperacion PR: https://recuperacion.pr.gov/en/non-federal-match-program/
San Juan Daily Star 1: https://www.sanjuandailystar.com/post/local-officials-work-on-alternatives-to-ensure-flow-of-fema-funds
San Juan Daily Star 2: https://www.sanjuandailystar.com/post/another-44-8-million-in-fema-funds-to-be-disbursed-for-towns-agencies-nonprofits
Tampa Bay Times: https://www.tampabay.com/ap/2025/04/11/fema-cuts-florida-trump/
The White House: https://www.whitehouse.gov/presidential-actions/2025/03/test/