Politics

Edwards cancels announcement of FEMA reforms

U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards speaks in Swannanoa during a visit by then-candidate Trump in October. [GERARD ALBERT III/BPR News]

By Lightning Reports, Published: April 5, 2025

U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards on Monday called off a news conference where he planned to announce recommendations for fixing FEMA, his office said. The news release issued at 10 o'clock Monday night gave no reason for the cancellation of the press conference, which was to take place Tuesday afternoon in Washington.

EARLIER COVERAGE:

Three months after President Trump appointed him to a task force review FEMA's operations post-Helene., U.S. Rep. Chuck Edwards will announce his recommendations for fixing the disaster-relief agency and accelerating Hurricane Helene recovery in Western North Carolina.

Trump signed an executive order on Jan. 24 creating a task force to thoroughly review FEMA and provide recommendations to the president on ways to improve emergency response and promote the nation’s resilience. Edwards has scheduled a news conference Tuesday to announce his recommendations to the White House and task force chair Michael Whatley, a North Carolina resident who is Republican National Committee chair. The news conference will take place at 1 p.m. in Washington.

The task force also included U.S. Reps. Virginia Foxx of Boone and Tim Moore of Kings Mountain.

“It is an honor to be named by President Trump to the FEMA task force to fix how this broken agency works," Edwards said in January. "After being on the ground throughout the Hurricane Helene response, it’s clear that an overhaul of FEMA is necessary to more effectively and efficiently respond to natural disasters. I look forward to lending the insights I’ve gained so that our nation will be fully prepared to prevent and respond to future disasters, and to save lives.”