Texas in the Spotlight: FEMA Review Panel Considers Major Relocation

A federal review panel appointed by President Donald Trump is evaluating whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) headquarters should shift from Washington, D.C., to Texas — a possibility tied to ongoing discussions about who will lead the nation’s disaster agency, according to reporting from POLITICO’s E&E News.

Two former senior FEMA officials told POLITICO that moving the agency out of Washington could create “huge challenges” for coordinating with the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees FEMA and is based nearby.

At the center of the potential move is Nim Kidd, the longtime head of the Texas Division of Emergency Management. 

Shortly after Trump took office, White House officials interviewed Kidd for the FEMA administrator position. He later acknowledged the interview on LinkedIn, writing, “My work in Texas is not done.” 

A former FEMA official told POLITICO that the review panel may recommend relocating the agency, partly to accommodate Kidd’s refusal to leave his home state. As one FEMA source said, “The admin wanted him, but he refused to leave Texas.”

Kidd, a member of the 13-person FEMA review panel, has remained close to the Trump administration and gained national attention after catastrophic July flooding in central Texas killed at least 130 people. 

The leadership shift comes after David Richardson, who served six months as acting administrator, announced his resignation and plans to return to the private sector. According to Raw Story, FEMA chief of staff Karen Evans will assume the position of acting administrator beginning Dec. 1.

Kidd meets statutory requirements to lead FEMA and would likely be approved by the Republican-controlled Senate, POLITICO reported. He would become the first permanent administrator since Trump returned to the White House.