- Former Mississippi Governor Phil Bryant has been appointed to the newly formed FEMA Review Council by President Trump.
- The council aims to reform and streamline the nation's emergency management and disaster response system.
- Trump has previously criticized FEMA's handling of recent disasters.
- Bryant's appointment follows a recent defamation lawsuit dismissal involving Mississippi Today, which he plans to appeal.
President Donald Trump has appointed former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant to a newly created FEMA Review Council.
"Honored to receive this appointment by the President!," Bryant posted on his LinkedIn page on Monday. "Unfortunately, we’ve earned a lot of experience with natural disasters and recovery in Mississippi. Let’s Make America Safe Again!"
According to the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, the FEMA Review Council is "a bipartisan group tasked with reforming and streamlining the nation’s emergency management and disaster response system."
Trump has been an outspoken critic of FEMA, saying in January that the agency "let this country down" when it came to its response to recent disasters.
The president made the announcement on his Truth Social account.
"I am proud to announce the formation of the FEMA Review Council, comprised of Top Experts in their fields, who are Highly Respected by their peers," Trump said.
In an email to the Clarion Ledger, Bryant said he can't wait to get to work with the council.
“I was incredibly honored to be included by President Donald Trumpin the rank of leaders selected to review and reform the nation’s emergency management and disaster response system," Bryant told the Clarion Ledger. "As we have seen from President Trump's first 100 days in his current term, he’s not afraid to shake things up and find better paths forward to our nation’s challenges. I’m eager to work with each member of the panel to do just that.”
Including Bryant, Trump appointed the following people to the council:
- Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth
- Florida Emergency Management Director Kevin Guthrie
- Miami Sheriff Rosie Cordero-Stutz
- Tampa Mayor Jane Castor
- Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem
- Texas Gov. Greg Abbott
- Virginia Gov. Glenn Youngkin
- Former Mississippi Gov. Phil Bryant
- Chairman Michael Whatley of the North Carolina Republican Party
- Chief W. Nim Kidd of the Texas Division of Emergency Management
- Mark Cooper
- Regional FEMA Administrator Bob Fenton
- Evan Greenburg
Phil Bryant in the news
Despite being governor of Mississippi for eight years, Bryant has most recently been associated with a controversy surrounding TANF funds.
A defamation lawsuit between Bryant andDeep South Today,owner ofMississippi Today, an online news outlet, had been ongoing.
Madison County Circuit Court Judge Bradley Millsdismissed a lawsuit in which Bryant claimed that Mississippi Today defamed him when some of its personnel made public statements characterizing his alleged role in a$100 million welfare scandal.
Mills in his order dismissing the lawsuit, said the court agreed with a motion to dismiss put forth by Mississippi Today's attorneys in June 2024. That motion, among other things, stated that Bryant had failed to plead any legally viable claims.
Bryant said he would appeal the ruling.
FEMA and Trump
As the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) continues to make rampant cuts to federal staffing, grants and budgets, workers at theFederal Emergency Management Agency(FEMA) dread the impending disaster season.
Now, fearing potential budget cuts, workers believe any action against the agency could have major repercussions on its ability to provide disaster aid duringhurricane season, wildfires and the continued onslaught of severe weather that has already brought devastating tornadoes and flooding to the Central United States.
Ross Reilyis a writer for the Clarion Ledger, part of the USA TODAY Network. He can be reached at rreily@gannett.com or 601-573-2952. You can follow him on the X platform, formerly known as Twitter @GreenOkra1.
