Executive Order 14378: Continuance of the Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council

What does Executive Order 14378 do?

The text directs Council to continue review and prepare recommendations, and Co-chairs to administer meetings and report.

Reading the operative provisions of Executive Order 14378

EO 14378 extended the FEMA Review Council so it could complete work beyond its earlier termination date. The Federal Register text continued the council temporarily; a later order superseded that extension. The council is advisory and reviews FEMA operations—it does not replace FEMA’s statutory responsibilities or decide disaster claims.

Federal advisory committees operate under the Federal Advisory Committee Act and their approved charters. They can gather information, hear stakeholders and provide recommendations, but FEMA remains responsible for its programs and for responding to disasters. Extending a council’s term gives it time to finish reports; it does not automatically adopt any recommendation or change a grant rule.

Because EO 14378 was superseded, the later order controls the council’s current timeline. Its historical purpose was to preserve continuity while review work continued. Readers should check the successor order and the council’s final report to understand what recommendations were completed and whether FEMA acted on them. A superseded extension should not be described as the current source of authority.

EO 14397, issued in March 2026, continued the same FEMA Review Council again so it could complete its review and deliver a final report before the newly stated termination date. The later order supersedes EO 14378 only as to the council’s continuation period; the earlier directive remains part of the timeline explaining why another extension was needed. See EO 14397 in the Federal Register and the separate EO 14397 guide. The council remains advisory; it cannot change FEMA’s statutory duties.

The succession of extensions shows that the council’s authorization period and FEMA’s underlying operations are different matters. Extending the council gives its members time to investigate and report; it does not extend a disaster declaration, reopen an individual assistance claim or change a FEMA grant deadline. The final report is advisory, and the agency or Congress must take separate lawful action before recommendations change policy. Readers should check the council’s published report and FEMA’s response to see what followed.