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This fact brief was originally published as an experiment to test the concepts behind fact briefs.

Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of useful information in fact briefs like this one, not all of them reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

FACT BRIEF

Did the creation of the Department of Homeland Security take some authority away from FEMA?

Sunday, March 7, 2021

By Bakar Wilson

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YES

President Jimmy Carter founded the Federal Emergency Management Agency in 1979 by executive order; it remained an independent entity until after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, when it was absorbed by the newly created Department of Homeland Security. The department transferred staff, duties, funds and authority from FEMA to its Emergency Preparedness and Response Directorate.

By the time Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in August 2005, FEMA was gutted (with 500 staff vacancies) and couldn’t properly respond. Reform legislation signed into law in 2006 “restored to FEMA many of the functions that had been transferred to other parts of the department” while restricting the actions that the DHS secretary can take affecting the agency.

FEMA‘s mission is to prepare for, respond to and aid recovery from natural and manmade disasters and terrorist attacks.

This fact brief is responsive to conversations such as this one.

Sources

Department of Homeland Security: Inspector General—FEMA, in or out?

FEMA: History of the agency

FEMA: National Response Framework—List of authorities and references

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Gigafact

Between 2020 and 2022, under close editorial supervision, Gigafact contracted a group of freelance writers and editors to test the concepts for fact briefs and provide inputs to our software development process. We call this effort Gigafact Foundry. Over the course of these two years, Gigafact Foundry writers published over 1500 fact briefs in response to claims they found online. Their important work forms the basis of Gigafact formats and editorial guidelines, and is available to the public on Gigafact.org. Readers should be aware that while there is still a lot of relevant information to be found, not all fact briefs produced by Gigafact Foundry reflect Gigafact's current methods and standards for fact briefs. If you come across any that you feel are out of date and need to be looked at with fresh eyes, don't hesitate to contact us at support@gigafact.org.

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About fact briefs published on Gigafact

Fact briefs are short, credibly sourced summaries that offer “yes/no” answers in response to claims found online. They rely on publicly available, often primary source data and documents. Fact briefs are created by contributors to Gigafact —a nonprofit project looking to expand participation in fact-checking and protect the democratic process. See all fact briefs here.