The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) will now need to approve all travel for Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) staff, even if the travel is funded through a pocket of disaster money that’s separate from appropriations that have lapsed.
A travel bulletin sent to staff Friday and reviewed by The Hill states that “Effective February 18, 2026, all Federal Emergency Management Agency travel during a lapse in appropriations … must be approved by the Department of Homeland Security.”
“Any new travel scheduled to begin February 18, 2026 or later, including disaster travel that is charged to the non-lapsing Disaster Relief Fund, must be authorized in writing by the Department of Homeland Security,” the bulletin continues.
“For disaster deployments that support life safety, the Office of Response and Recovery (ORR) will submit disaster-related travel requests in accordance with this policy,” it says, adding that “under no circumstances should any FEMA traveler … begin new travel prior to receiving DHS written approval.”
The DHS, which houses FEMA, is facing a shutdown after lawmakers failed to reach an agreement on its budget. However, FEMA, which often has to help out during sudden and difficult-to-predict disasters, has a separate funding source known as the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF).
Unlike regular DHS and FEMA appropriations, the DRF has not lapsed, and it had more than $7 billion in available funding as of January.
Through the DRF, FEMA pays for response and recovery efforts amid major disasters and emergencies. This fund also covers longer-term infrastructure repair and recovery.
On Thursday, former FEMA chief of staff Michael Coen told The Hill via text that during past shutdowns, “DRF activities including travel [continued] without interruption.”
The Hill has reached out to FEMA and the DHS asking why travel, including DRF-funded travel, will now need DHS written approval.
The new bulletin comes after the DHS halted at least some FEMA travel earlier this week.
An internal FEMA email seen by The Hill states, “DHS has issued a stop-travel order for all DHS funded travel … for the duration of the lapse in appropriation. Currently, this DOES include disaster travel.”
A FEMA spokesperson said the order from earlier in the week did not impact travel related to “active disasters.” The agency cited the shutdown as the reason for the order.
The moves come as the administration feuds with Democrats over DHS funding, with Democrats seeking to rein in the DHS’s immigration authorities after federal officials killed two people in Minnesota.
Meanwhile, President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have repeatedly said they want to see a diminished role for FEMA. Reports have indicated that the administration is considering cutting its workforce in half.
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