President Donald Trump has named four North Carolinians to the newly created council that will assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after facing heat for what critics called a botched response in western North Carolina and elsewhere.

Republican National Committee Chair Michael Whatley, who will head the council, US Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-NC-11, US Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-NC-05, and US Rep. Tim Moore, NC-14, were named to the Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council, which was created by an executive order from Trump on Friday, shortly after he visited Asheville and Swannanoa.

FEMA has faced intense scrutiny since Hurricane Helene impacted parts of western North Carolina in late September 2024, with criticism ranging from running out of funds and allegedly avoiding homes with Trump signs to victims being forced out of hotels at the last minute.

In November, former FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell was grilled at a congressional Transportation & Infrastructure subcommittee hearing about claims that the government agency wasn’t doing enough to help Hurricanes Helene and Milton victims.

Trump told reporters on Friday that he believes disaster management should be led by the states and not the federal government.

“I think, frankly, FEMA’s not good. I think when you have a problem like this, I think you want to go. And, whether it’s a Democrat or a Republican governor, you want to use your state to fix it and not waste time calling FEMA,” said the President.

The panel will consist of no more than 20 members and meet for one year to create “a full-scale review, by individuals highly experienced at effective disaster response and recovery, who shall recommend to the President improvements or structural changes to promote the national interest and enable national resilience.”

Newly sworn-in Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth will serve as co-chairs of the council and oversee the committee.

The council will produce a report for the President that will include an assessment of the adequacy of FEMA’s response to disasters during the previous four years, including the sufficiency of staffing and a comparison of the FEMA responses with state, local, and private sector responses — including timeliness of response, supplies provided, efficacy, and services (including communications and electricity) provided — during the same period.

“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 a press release. “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.”

“The FEMA bureaucracy is failing the citizens of western North Carolina. I wholeheartedly agree with President Trump’s sentiment that if we cannot fix FEMA, it must be overhauled,” Foxx said. “I thank President Trump for appointing me to the Council to Assess the Federal Emergency Management Agency – I’ll work alongside my colleagues to hold FEMA’s feet to the fire at every turn. Western North Carolina deserves nothing less.”

“After leading unprecedented efforts to help our region recover from Hurricane Helene as Speaker of the North Carolina House, I’m deeply honored to be named to President Trump’s newest task force to newest task force to assess and improve FEMA,” Moore said in a press release. “This Council’s mission is clear: we must ensure that FEMA is prepared to respond swiftly and impartially to any disaster, prioritize American families, and focus on restoring the agency’s core mission. I look forward to working with my fellow Council members to provide solutions that promote efficiency, transparency, and accountability within FEMA while ensuring that taxpayer dollars go directly to helping families recover and rebuild.”

Editor’s note: This story has been updated.