Recent fixes to long-standing problems at the Federal Emergency Management Agency are in jeopardy as the Trump administration slashes programs and cuts staff, emergency experts warn.

FEMA has been plagued for decades by accusations that it fails to help the most vulnerable victims of disasters. Poor people, racial minorities and those who live in rural and tribal areas have been chronically ignored or denied crucial help after disasters, with long-term and even deadly consequences for families, NPR investigations have found.

Under the Biden administration, FEMA took some concrete steps to address those problems. For example, the agency simplified forms that disaster victims must fill out to apply for money, loosened requirements to prove residency and made some money for essential items

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