* Politico…

The Trump administration’s disaster chief told state officials Tuesday they must increase their financial reserves and emergency capabilities to handle most disasters on their own, without federal help. […]

“Every state must have the appropriate financial reserves” and other abilities “to ensure that recovery efforts can start immediately and not necessarily be held up simply because of the federal [disaster] declaration process,” [Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Cameron Hamilton] said, according to a recording of his remarks obtained by POLITICO.

“A future that I hope we would shoot for is one where we wouldn’t require as many disasters because the capability of states is so high and so substantial,” Hamilton added, referring to presidential authorizations of federal disaster aid. […]

The Trump administration plans to launch “national mutual aid,” whereby states help each other recover from damaging storms, floods, wildfires and other events, Hamilton told state emergency management leaders. […]

The administration has not publicly announced any changes and has continued to approve disaster aid for weather-related events. Hamilton told the conference attendees that changes could begin “in the next six months.”

* I asked Gov. JB Pritzker’s office for a response…

“Donald Trump has weaponized and weakened FEMA, and now his handpicked lackey, Cameron Hamilton, is falling in line and suggesting states should be less dependent on the federal government after a disaster. This is not about dependency. This is about accountability and a shared national responsibility to protect all Americans from catastrophic disasters that require a comprehensive federal, state and local response. Instead, the federal government is denying valid requests for assistance from Democratic states impacted by severe weather, and cutting long-standing investments that have always been in place to support a state’s emergency response and recovery.”

“Despite Illinois’ substantial investments in emergency management, the cumulative effects of severe weather across the state will continue to exceed local capacities and further underscore the ongoing need for additional federal support to bridge critical resource gaps. As Donald Trump’s FEMA abdicates their sole purpose and responsibility, Governor Pritzker remains focused on fighting for all available and appropriate disaster relief needed most by our communities as they continue to recover and rebuild.”

Discuss.

* Related…

* CNI | Documents show state’s disaster request met FEMA’s threshold: The state itself spent $2.2 million on “personnel, expertise and equipment,” $100,000 to activate the State Emergency Operations Center, and $1.5 million in community development block grant funds for disaster response. There were 4,519 residential structures damaged throughout the state, including 46 that were completely destroyed. Most of the destroyed homes were in Cook County, which also accounted for half of the state’s damaged homes. All the damage to homes added up to $19.5 million.

* Tribune | Trump’s FEMA rejects Illinois disaster aid request for August storms: In a letter Wednesday, Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Cameron Hamilton wrote that federal assistance was “not warranted,” Democratic Gov. JB Pritzker’s office said in a statement released on Thursday. The Pritzker administration said it would appeal FEMA’s decision. The denial comes in a record-breaking year for severe weather in Illinois, which leads the nation with about 212 tornadoes confirmed by the National Weather Service so far this year, according to Pritzker’s office. It also comes as Trump’s administration denied providing federal assistance to Illinois last year for storms, including when a deluge dumped five to six inches of rain in some areas in July 2025, flooding basements and damaging thousands of homes; the state of Illinois put the average household damage at $16,784.

* Insurance Business Mag | FEMA retreats from disaster response and launches a tool to sell flood insurance without brokers: “Every state must have the appropriate financial reserves and other abilities to ensure that recovery efforts can start immediately and not necessarily be held up simply because of the federal disaster declaration process,” Hamilton said in remarks obtained by Politico. “A future that I hope we would shoot for is one where we wouldn’t require as many disasters because the capability of states is so high and so substantial.” On the same day, FEMA launched a direct-to-consumer purchase tool through FloodSmart.gov, allowing homeowners and renters to buy an NFIP policy in minutes without going through an agent. The two announcements are not coincidental. They describe the same strategy from different angles: a federal government reducing its backstop role while making the remaining federal product easier to access directly.