WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Peter Welch (D-Vt.) today reacted to reporting that Elon Musk’s so called “Department of Government Efficiency,” or DOGE, has started to review disaster recovery grant programs at FEMA, and gained private and sensitive data of disaster victims:  

“Disaster-impacted communities in Vermont and across America have been through hell and back—the last thing they need is Elon Musk and his sycophants rifling through their sensitive personal information.  

“DOGE’s infiltration of FEMA is yet another example of the chaos and confusion that have become hallmarks of President Trump’s second term. Elon Musk doesn’t have the mandate or the authority to do what he’s doing. It’s a gross overreach of executive powers, and on a human level—it’s cruel. These are victims of a disaster. To gut FEMA or withhold funding to a community recovering from a flood, fire, or hurricane would be beyond cruel.

“We need to fix FEMA, not kill it. I’m focused on improving FEMA’s long-term recovery process so we can help Americans in their darkest hour, and help rebuild communities in a more resilient way.”

Senator Welch recently published an opinion piece in the New York Times entitled “Don’t Kill FEMA. Fix It.” In the guest essay, Senator Welch outlined why President Trump’s actions to undermine and potentially dissolve FEMA are misguided and dangerous—but also committed to working with the President on good faith efforts to reform the agency’s long-term recovery process. Following Vermont’s catastrophic floods of July 2023 and July 2024, flood-impacted families and communities have struggled with red tape and frustrating bureaucracy. 

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