Wildfires: Additional Actions Needed to Address FEMA Assistance Challenges
Fast Facts
Wildfires have increased in size and severity in recent decades. There are also more new homes and other buildings in fire-prone areas.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency provided over $3.8 billion in wildfire-related assistance in FY 2019-2023. That paid for work such as debris removal and utility repairs.
We interviewed officials from 22 state, local, and tribal governments about their experiences with FEMA assistance. They cited challenges such as:
Delayed help with post-fire erosion control work that could reduce future damages
Confusing rules and complex paperwork
Our 6 recommendations address these issues and more.
Debris from the August 2023 wildfire in Lahaina, Hawaii
Highlights
What GAO Found
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), within the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), provided over $3.8 billion in wildfire-related assistance from fiscal years 2019 through 2023. The agency obligated about $3.2 billion in Public Assistance grants for emergency work (such as debris removal and emergency protective measures), and permanent recovery work (repairing or replacing roads, utilities, and buildings).
Example of How Wildfires Can Affect Landscapes
GAO interviewed officials from 22 state, local, and tribal governments about their experiences obtaining FEMA assistance for wildfires. Examples of challenges officials cited included:
- Post-wildfire Mitigation. Wildfires destroy vegetation and damage soil, creating conditions that can increase immediate risks of flooding, erosion, and debris flows—fast-moving, destructive landslides that often strike without warning. GAO found that communities continue to face challenges addressing post-wildfire risks, in part because FEMA's assistance programs are too slow to support more timely post-wildfire mitigation. Taking steps to provide immediate post-wildfire mitigation assistance could help foster more resilient communities and reduce future demand on federal resources.
- Fire Management and Assistance Grants (FMAG) management. State, local, and tribal officials GAO interviewed said they faced challenges associated with the FMAG program, including the quantity and complexity of required paperwork, and confusion over eligibility requirements. However, FEMA does not collect ongoing, nationwide feedback from state, local, and tribal FMAG recipients, as it does for other grant programs. Collecting, assessing, and incorporating such feedback into program policy, as appropriate, would help FEMA address challenges.
Why GAO Did This Study
In recent decades, much of the nation has witnessed an increase in the size and severity of wildfires. At the same time, development in and around wildland areas has increased. Demand for federal resources to mitigate against, respond to, and recover from these wildfires has increased.
The FEMA Improvement, Reform, and Efficiency Act of 2022 includes a provision for GAO to examine FEMA wildfire assistance programs. This report examines (1) FEMA assistance to wildfire-affected communities from fiscal years 2019 through 2023, and (2) challenges communities face with this assistance and to what extent FEMA has taken steps to address them.
GAO analyzed data from FEMA assistance programs from fiscal years 2019 through 2023 and reviewed agency policies, guidance, and assessments of FEMA's wildfire assistance. GAO interviewed officials from FEMA and a non-generalizable sample of seven state, 11 local, and four tribal governments that obtained FEMA assistance for wildfires during this period. GAO conducted site visits to Hawaii, Washington, and the Nez Perce Tribe.
Recommendations
GAO is making six recommendations, including for FEMA to provide immediate post-wildfire mitigation assistance and to establish a process to collect, assess, and incorporate ongoing feedback from FMAG recipients. DHS concurred with five recommendations and did not concur with one recommendation. GAO continues to believe all six recommendations are warranted.
Recommendations for Executive Action
| Agency Affected | Recommendation | Status |
|---|---|---|
| Federal Emergency Management Agency | The FEMA Administrator should assess ways to provide assistance for immediate post-wildfire mitigation and take steps to provide such assistance. If FEMA determines it needs additional authorities, it should develop a legislative proposal for implementing the proposed change(s). (Recommendation 1) |
In December 2024, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) concurred with our recommendation and stated that FEMA would assess ways to provide immediate post-wildfire mitigation. As of September 2025, DHS stated FEMA was assessing options within the agency's existing authorities to expedite post-wildfire mitigation and will complete its assessment of options by the end of December 2025. As part of this effort, FEMA clarified existing Public Assistance eligibility criteria for post-wildfire mitigation activities in its January 2025 Public Assistance Program and Policy Guide update and provided examples. While clarifying current eligibility for mitigation activities under Public Assistance is a positive step, to fully address this recommendation, FEMA will need to take actions that provide additional opportunities for more immediate mitigation action. Our recommendation recognizes that FEMA may need to seek additional authorities from Congress to do so. This could better position FEMA to help foster more resilient communities and reduce the future demand on federal resources by mitigating post-wildfire flooding, erosion, and debris flows. We will continue to monitor DHS's progress in assessing how FEMA could provide more immediate post-wildfire mitigation.
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| Department of Homeland Security | The Secretary of Homeland Security should follow the process to expand, establish, or adopt a categorical exclusion for wildfire mitigation activities that includes post-wildfire soil stabilization and erosion control measures. (Recommendation 2) |
In December 2024, DHS concurred with our recommendation and stated that it would submit a request for a new categorical exclusion that includes post-wildfire soil stabilization and erosion control measures. In June 2025, DHS published a notice documenting the adoption of six categorical exclusions from other agencies that could be used to cover post-wildfire mitigation activities such as seeding, planting, reforestation, and other stabilization activities. As a result, FEMA will be in a better position to provide more timely post-wildfire mitigation assistance to affected communities.
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| Federal Emergency Management Agency | The FEMA Administrator should establish a formal process to regularly collect and assess nationwide feedback from state, local, and tribal FMAG recipients and incorporate such feedback into program policy, as appropriate. (Recommendation 3) |
DHS concurred with our recommendation and, in December 2024, stated that FEMA plans to establish a session at its annual Public Assistance Working Session to solicit feedback on the FMAG program and incorporate such feedback into its periodic program guidance updates. We agree this is a helpful step and encouraged FEMA to look for ways to ensure that FMAG recipients who may not attend the Public Assistance Working Session have a way to submit feedback on the FMAG program. As of September 2025, the agency stated it will also collect public comments on the forthcoming update to the FMAG Program and Policy Guide and will assess the best path forward regarding formal collection of nationwide feedback from recipients. To fully address this recommendation, FEMA will need to demonstrate it has established a formal process to collect and incorporate nationwide feedback into program policies. Doing so would help FEMA address program challenges moving forward. DHS estimated it will complete its plan by April 2026, and we will continue to monitor its progress.
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| Federal Emergency Management Agency | The FEMA Administrator should document its position on approving FMAG declarations for fires burning on federal land but threatening nearby communities in the FMAG Program and Policy Guide. (Recommendation 4) |
DHS concurred and, as of December 2024, FEMA is working to develop written guidance documenting the agency's position on approving FMAG declarations for fires burning on federal land which threaten nearby state and local communities. In September 2025, FEMA stated it plans to update this guidance in the next version of the FMAG Program and Policy Guide in April 2026. To fully address this recommendation, FEMA will need to ensure its program guidance includes its position on approving FMAG declarations in these instances. Doing so will help ensure that FEMA's policies will be consistently carried out. We will continue to monitor DHS's progress on this planned update to the FMAG Program and Policy Guide.
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| Federal Emergency Management Agency | The FEMA Administrator should clarify eligible pre-positioning costs, including use of in-state resources, in the FMAG Program and Policy Guide. (Recommendation 5) |
DHS concurred and, as of December 2024, FEMA is working to develop written guidance to clarify the eligibility of pre-positioning of in-state resources, including which costs associated with in-state prepositioned resources are eligible. The updated guidance will be available in the next update of the FMAG Program and Policy Guide. As of September 2025, the agency estimates completing this update by April 2026. To fully address this recommendation, FEMA will need to ensure the updated program guidance clarifies eligible pre-positioning costs. Doing so will help ensure FMAG recipients have a consistent understanding of allowable pre-positioning costs. We will continue to monitor DHS's progress on this planned update to the FMAG Program and Policy Guide.
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| Federal Emergency Management Agency | The FEMA Administrator should amend the FMAG regulations to provide tribal governments the option to request FMAG declarations directly from FEMA. (Recommendation 6) |
In December 2024, DHS did not concur with this recommendation, stating that the department does not have the statutory authority to amend FEMA's FMAG regulations to provide Tribes the option to request FMAG declarations directly from FEMA. We did not agree that a statutory change is necessary for FEMA to implement the recommendation. In June 2025, DHS informed GAO that the agency had further considered the matter and will take steps to determine whether it is feasible to issue regulations to provide Tribes the option to request FMAGs directly. If FEMA determines that rulemaking is the appropriate course of action, the agency will begin that process. In September 2025, DHS estimated that this effort would be complete by the end of May 2027. In order to fully address this recommendation, FEMA will need to amend its regulation to allow tribal governments the option to request FMAG declarations directly. Doing so would better enable FEMA to work with Tribes to ensure they have the capacity to respond to wildfires. We will continue to monitor DHS's progress on implementing this recommendation.
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