FEMA Review Council Meeting Canceled After Report Leak Raises Questions

A meeting of the 13 member FEMA Review Council that had been scheduled for 1 p.m. Eastern today was called off at the last minute, officials and news organizations reported, leaving unanswered questions about the council's recommendations and the pace of a sweeping review of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The meeting had been expected to be the forum for release of proposals aimed at streamlining FEMA and speeding delivery of disaster aid.

According to E&E News and other outlets, the cancellation came shortly after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who leads the council with Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, left testimony before the House Homeland Security Committee to attend the scheduled meeting. Multiple sources described the call off as abrupt and occurring on short notice. The Associated Press reported the cancellation on December 11, 2025.

Reporting by CNN and E&E News supplied further context for the decision. CNN published a copy on Wednesday of what it characterized as the council's final report. Sources close to the panel told E&E News that administration officials were angered by CNN's obtaining and publishing of the document, and that at least one council member viewed the leak as evidence the report remained subject to change. Those sources said the meeting was canceled in part to signal that the document was not final.

News organizations described the council's months of work as occurring amid operational disruptions inside FEMA and in interagency coordination. CNN reported that officials at the Office of Management and Budget and the National Security Council have struggled to obtain basic information from FEMA about emergency funding and grants. Sources cited by CNN said a string of routine meetings was abruptly canceled in recent days and that FEMA is behind schedule on processes required to disburse billions of dollars in grants to states and localities. Some grants have already been paused or canceled in the context of budget reductions.

Several sources quoted in media accounts framed the changes as part of a broader realignment designed to bring FEMA into closer alignment with the priorities of the president and Secretary Noem. Those characterizations reflect anonymous or close to panel sourcing in the reports. There remain no public on the record statements from FEMA, the White House, Secretary Noem, Defense Secretary Hegseth, or other principals confirming the administration's official explanation for the cancellation.

The abrupt call off intensified concerns among state and local emergency managers who depend on predictable federal grant timelines, and it underscored the governance trade offs that can accompany top down reviews of critical public safety agencies. The combination of a leaked document, opaque decision making, and reported difficulties in interagency information flows raises immediate questions about how and when the council will complete its work, how FEMA will address identified operational shortfalls, and how Congress and state officials will be informed about potential delays in disaster aid.