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President Donald Trump surveyed the damage in Texas from catastrophic floods that have killed at least 120 people. With dozens more still missing, search and rescue efforts continue across the hardest-hit areas.“It’s a horrible thing. Nobody can even believe it,” Trump told reporters before departing the White House. “That much water that fast.”The president toured flood zones by air and met with first responders, grieving families, and state officials at the Texas Emergency Operations Center.However, his visit is drawing scrutiny for the Trump administration’s plans to drastically reshape the federal agency responsible for disaster response: FEMA. Trump has made no secret of his desire to reduce FEMA’s footprint. Last month, he said he wants to “wean off of FEMA and bring it down to the state level.”That message was echoed this week by his Homeland Security Secretary, Kristi Noem, who said the agency should be “eliminated as it currently exists.”That meeting was part of the administration’s FEMA Review Council — a group created in January to assess the agency’s effectiveness and recommend changes. According to a White House official, the council is expected to deliver formal recommendations to the president by November.In a statement to Hearst Television, White House spokesperson Abigail Jackson pushed back on reporting that characterized FEMA’s fate as already decided:“Effective response and recovery from disasters relies on strong local and state leadership. While Federal assistance was always intended to supplement state actions, not replace those actions, FEMA’s outsized role created a bloated bureaucracy that disincentivized state investment in their own resilience. President Trump is committed to right-sizing the Federal government while empowering State and local governments by enabling them to better understand, plan for, and ultimately address the needs of their citizens. The President’s FEMA Review Council, comprised of top experts in their field, will recommend to the President how FEMA may be reformed in ways that best serve the national interest, including how America responds to and recovers from disasters such that the Federal role remains supplemental and appropriate to the scale of disaster."According to Associated Press reporting, roughly one-third of FEMA’s full-time workforce has left since Trump took office in January.Democratic members of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform have demanded answers about FEMA’s response to the Texas flooding. Reps. Greg Casar and Jasmine Crockett, backed by Ranking Member Robert Garcia, sent letters this week to FEMA and other agencies requesting documents and information about reported delays in search and rescue deployment and disaster preparedness.“We are deeply concerned not only that Secretary Noem may have effectively crippled the agency’s ability to respond to this crisis, but also that she failed to personally act to ensure a timely response,” the committee members wrote in their letter to FEMA.The Oversight Committee also highlighted concerns about staffing vacancies at the National Weather Service and the impact of broader federal agency cuts on emergency preparedness.Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) has introduced legislation aimed at streamlining FEMA, not scrapping it. On his bill, Sen. Welch said:“My bill addresses bureaucratic delays and puts local officials in charge of long-term recovery with upfront access to FEMA funds. They can act quicker, more efficiently, and are committed to their communities.”