FEMA-DHS

Should FEMA remain a part of the DHS

The issue that will be addressed in this thesis is whether the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) should remain a part of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Buried among the legislation passed in the aftermath of the September 1 lth terrorist attacks was a provision of H.R. 5005, the Homeland Security Act of 2002, which mandated that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) be absorbed by the newly created Department of Homeland Security (DHS). It is important to determine whether this adjustment to public policy, made in conjunction with an overall merger of 22 federal agencies under the auspices of the DHS, has had an impact on the way the government responds to natural disasters, terrorist assaults, and other emergency situations.

Rationale/Significance to the field of Public Policy:

FEMA existed as an independent agency from 1979 until the passage of...
[ View Full Essay]