FEMA Reform: Billion-Dollar Disasters and the Push for Taxpayer Protection

With nearly 30 billion-dollar extreme weather events in 2024 alone, disaster costs are spiraling out of control—and Congress is finally taking action. Steve Ellis sits down with TCS Director of Research Josh Sewell and Policy Analyst Tyler Work to examine the FEMA Act of 2025, bipartisan legislation that could modernize America's approach to disaster preparedness and response. They explore what the bill gets right—from elevating FEMA back to cabinet-level status to expanding mitigation funding—and where critical gaps remain. The conversation covers transparency reforms, the need for smarter rebuilding standards, the importance of front-end investment over back-end bailouts, and why federal disaster programs must stop subsidizing development in high-risk zones. At stake: whether reform delivers real resilience or just repeats costly mistakes.