The Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters is seen in Washington, July 29, 2025. Photo: Andrew Rice / The Center Square
(The Center Square) – A federal oversight agency has called on the U.S. Department of Homeland Security to enhance its disaster preparedness and response services in a new report.
The U.S. Government Accountability Office identified 39 priority recommendations for Homeland Security to implement in May 2025. The department has since implemented five of them.
The report highlights three areas where improvements are needed to maximize efficiency including disaster response, technology and cybersecurity, and border security policies.
The report says fragmentation across disaster response agencies has led to a lack of aid for those experiencing disasters.
“State and local officials cited challenges navigating multiple federal recovery programs with differing requirements and time frames; multiple federal authorities; and limited data sharing,” the report says.
The recommendation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency is to standardize and simplify its disaster responses. The Government Accountability Office recommended FEMA develop a single online application portal that feeds into one repository, identify recovery outcomes and track progress on those outcomes and develop models to coordinate across disaster recovery programs.
“No single federal entity or congressional committee oversees disaster recovery as a whole,” the report says. “Establishing an independent commission to recommend disaster recovery reforms could provide Congress and agencies specific actions to improve the federal approach.”
The recommendations come after lawmakers in Arizona expressed frustration over FEMA’s denial of an emergency declaration after severe flooding impacted two rural counties in the state in 2025.
On July 24, a bipartisan group of lawmakers wrote a letter to President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, demanding an explanation of the denial. An initial assessment of the damage found more than $33 million in losses, a figure FEMA concluded did not exceed state and local capabilities.
However, the lawmakers said further damage assessments documented more than $100 million in verified losses.
“As Gila and Mohave counties continue rebuilding public infrastructure and preparing for the flooding risks that accompany each monsoon season, it is essential that affected communities have a clear understanding of how your decision was reached for both the original request and appeal,” the lawmakers wrote.
The lawmakers asked several questions about the logistics behind FEMA’s decision to deny a disaster declaration request. The questions include what systems were used to assess damage, who made disaster declarations and how the decision to deny emergency declaration was made.
Many of the lawmakers’ issues were shared by the Government Accountability Office in its recommendation report. Arizona Democratic Sens. Ruben Gallego and Mark Kelly, and Reps. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., Yassamin Ansari, D-Ariz., Elijah Crane, R-Ariz., Andy Biggs, R-Ariz., and Adelita Grijalva, D-Ariz., signed the letter demanding answers.
“Transparency throughout FEMA’s decision-making process is critical both for the communities recovering from these catastrophic floods and for state officials planning for future disasters,” the lawmakers wrote.
“Congress should consider establishing an independent commission to recommend reforms to the federal government’s approach to disaster recovery,” the Government Accountability Office said.
