Trump, in a visit to an area devastated by Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, said states should instead “take care of” disaster response.

The agency was created in the late 1970s and is tasked with helping states and communities impacted by disasters nationwide.

President Trump toured North Carolina and Southern California Friday, two areas recently affected by disaster. He also said he's considering getting rid of FEMA. WGN's Shannon Halligan explains.

Ahead of a tour of two states struck by natural disasters, President Donald Trump criticized the disaster response agency as “very bureaucratic” and “very slow.”

Notably, Trump’s executive order on FEMA does not seek to eliminate the agency; Congress would need to act to do that. The order instead underscores Trump’s interest in turning to outside advisers and private-sector companies to fill some typically governmental functions as he seeks to quickly accomplish his second-term goals.

Just because you don’t see somebody in a FEMA shirt walking on the streets the day after a disaster doesn’t mean FEMA is not there.”

Trump suggested some states were more deserving of aid than others, and that the feds could step out of relief role