President Donald Trump said he would end the Federal Emergency Management Agency "right now" if it was up to him.
President Trump made the comments during a visit to North Carolina, where he was touring damage left by Hurricane Helene.
"FEMA is a very expensive organization that really doesn't work out very well," he said.
Trump revealed on Friday that he would be signing an executive order that would overhaul FEMA or possibly "get rid" of the agency.
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The president suggested the federal government could give money directly to states so they could respond to the disasters directly.
However, Ratina Dougherty, an assistant professor at the University of South Florida, said more clarity is needed on how the federal government would support states.
"What is going to be the federal response capacity and the federal expectations and ability to provide aid? Because I think that the biggest thing that FEMA does provide is a lot of that boots-on-the-ground initial response and most importantly — the financial aid," she said.
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In addition to potential changes to FEMA, Trump suggested that aid could be tied to certain conditions. In California, where wildfires destroyed thousands of structures, Trump suggested the state should pass a voter ID law in order to receive federal aid.
A spokesperson for California Gov. Gavin Newsom called conditioning aid for Americans "wrong."
Ahead of Trump's visit to California on Friday, Newsom signed a $2.5 billion disaster relief bill that was passed unanimously by state lawmakers.
Newsom met Trump on the tarmac when he arrived in California on Friday to shake his hand.
A statement from Newsom's office said he was "committed to advocating for the needs of Californians in partnership with the federal administration." Speaking after Trump arrived on Friday, Newsom said "I have all the expectations we’re going to be able to work together."
"We're going to get it fixed," Trump said of the wildfires' devastation.
Trump then toured areas damaged by the fires on foot and from the air, noting the difference of seeing the effects in person.
“I don’t think you can realize how rough it is, how devastating it is, until you see it,” President Trump said.
The president did not immediately address his earlier suggestions that aid for California should be conditional.
He left California Friday for Las Vegas, Nevada, where he will hold a rally over the weekend.
