CityLab Daily
Also today: ICE detains NYC mayoral candidate Brad Lander, and large swaths of US braces for record heat.
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A March 2025 memo seen by Bloomberg details how the Trump administration plans to drastically shrink the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s key disaster response functions. The document, titled “Abolishing FEMA” and addressed from then-acting FEMA head Cameron Hamilton, proposes ending federal aid for smaller disasters that aren’t of “national significance,” cutting long-term housing assistance for survivors and halting new enrollments in the National Flood Insurance Program, among other things.

Such reforms would transfer responsibilities to state and local governments, even as the memo acknowledges that many are currently “unprepared” to expand their roles. The changes could come as early as late 2025, though many of the proposals would require congressional action. Read more from Zahra Hirji, Jason Leopold and Lauren Rosenthal today on CityLab: ‘Abolishing FEMA’ Memo Outlines Ways for Trump to Scrap Agency

— Rthvika Suvarna

Editor’s note: CityLab Daily will not publish on Thursday for Juneteenth. We will return Friday.

More on CityLab

NYC Is Set to Sizzle as Record Heat Bears Down on the US Northeast
More than 200 daily and overnight records are poised to be broken from Sunday to Tuesday across a wide swath of the country.

JFK AirTrain Cuts Fares 50% This Summer to Lure Riders Off Roads
The discount is part of larger efforts to reduce congestion at the airport as it prepares for record-breaking levels of travel this summer.

NYC Mayoral Candidate Lander Arrested at Immigration Court
New York City Comptroller Brad Lander was detained by ICE agents while escorting a defendant out of immigration court.

What we’re reading 

  • In ‘Tehrangeles,’ Iranian Americans anxiously watch war unfold from afar (New York Times)

  • How cities are scaling back Juneteenth celebrations after Trump-era DEI rollbacks (CNN)

  • ‘Car culture’ still dominates in the US, survey finds (Smart Cities Dive)

  • LA residents are foiling ICE raids using Amazon Ring’s neighborhood watch (Forbes)

  • Oxford Street will be pedestrianized as soon as possible, says London mayor (Guardian)


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