Williams advocates for FEMA reform on Capitol Hill
[October 28, 2025] Today, Commissioner Frank Williams visited Capitol Hill to advocate for FEMA reform and expedited relief for Helene-affected communities. He posted the statement below following the meetings:
Today, I visited Capitol Hill with County Commissioners from Western North Carolina and members of the N.C. Association of County Commissioners (NCACC) executive committee advocating for expedited relief for those affected by Helen as well as legislation to reform the the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Members of the National Association of Counties (NACo) Intergovernmental Disaster Reform Task Force, of which I am a member, were also on the Hill sharing their stories and advocating for the passage of H.R. 4669, the Fixing Emergency Management for Americans (FEMA) Act.
In every meeting, I shared the four “S’s” that I believe need to happen:
1. Simplify FEMA. The process is far too complex, and Western North Carolina commissioners shared examples of the goalposts continually shifting throughout the process.
2. Streamline FEMA. It goes without saying that the organization is inefficient.
3. Speed it up. It shouldn’t take years to deliver relief to disaster-impacted communities.
4. Seat at the table for Counties. Counties are on the front lines of emergency management and response all across America, and any national discussions about reforming FEMA are incomplete without authentic, informed County voices who can share real-life examples of the on-the-ground challenges they face.
I believe the FEMA Act would address many of these issues moving forward, but it wouldn’t address the slow response affecting Helene affected Counties in Western North Carolina.
Thank you to Senator Thom Tillis, Senator Ted Budd, Congresswoman Virginia Foxx and Congressman Tim Moore for meeting with us, Congresswoman Deborah Ross for attending the screening of “Rising Above Helene,” and to Congressman Chuck Edwards’ staff for meeting with us. Congressman David Rouzer was not in Washington while we were here, but I have communicated with him directly about this issue, and he is a co-sponsor of the FEMA Act.
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