Trump's Fired FEMA Nominee Returns to Lead Disaster Agency Hurting From 5,000-Worker Shortage

The 2026 Atlantic hurricane season officially began on 1 June, and the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is entering it with fewer staff, less leadership, and more uncertainty than at any point in recent memory.

A Fired Leader Gets a Second Chance

President Donald Trump nominated Cameron Hamilton on 11 May to serve as FEMA's first permanent administrator for his second term. Hamilton is a former Navy SEAL who held the job on an acting basis from January to May 2025 before Trump fired him. His offence was telling a House Appropriations subcommittee that he did 'not believe it is in the best interest of the American people to eliminate' FEMA. He was dismissed the next day.

Hamilton's nomination comes after three acting administrators cycled through the role in roughly 18 months, none of whom had emergency management experience. His Senate confirmation hearing has not been scheduled. Peter Gaynor, who led FEMA during Trump's first term, said the agency is 'in desperate need of permanent leadership.'

A Workforce in Free Fall

FEMA has lost more than 5,000 of its roughly 20,000 employees since January 2025, according to a letter from Representatives Bennie Thompson and Timothy Kennedy to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). Office of Personnel Management (OPM) data showed the agency's total headcount dropped from nearly 26,000 in January 2025 to about 21,100 by March 2026, a decline of nearly 20%.

The top tier of the workforce has been hit hardest. The agency's senior career staff dropped by 35%, and nearly half of FEMA's 38 top leadership positions are currently vacant, its own website shows. Six of 10 regional offices have no permanent administrator.

The Government Accountability Office (GAO) warned in a September 2025 report that 'meeting response needs could be a major challenge' if major hurricanes strike, noting that workforce reductions 'may exacerbate existing workforce challenges'.

Billions in Protection Stripped Away

FEMA also cancelled billions of dollars in disaster mitigation grants in spring 2025. The agency ended its Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) programme, pulling back $3.6 billion (£2.67 billion) in awarded funding and scrapping $882 million (£655 million) in planned grants. A federal judge declared the cancellation unlawful in December 2025 and ordered FEMA to restore the programme. FEMA has since issued $1 billion (£742 million) in BRIC funding, but that remains well below the $4.6 billion (£3.4 billion) Congress originally set aside.

In late April, FEMA reinstated 14 staff members who had spent eight months on administrative leave for signing the 'Katrina Declaration,' a letter that warned Congress about the administration's dismantling of the agency's programmes and missions.

A Below-Normal Season Still Carries Risk

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicted a below-normal hurricane season, forecasting eight to 14 named storms, three to six hurricanes, and one to three major hurricanes of Category 3 or higher. The forecast is largely driven by an emerging El Niño pattern, which tends to suppress Atlantic storm activity.

But emergency managers stress that forecasts don't determine damage. 'It only takes one storm to produce catastrophic loss of life and property,' Thompson and Kennedy wrote. About 130 million Americans live in vulnerable coastal regions, and any failure in US disaster response could ripple through global insurance markets, supply chains, and energy prices.

FEMA said in a statement that it is 'fully prepared for hurricane season' and that the administration is 'committed to ensuring Americans affected by hurricanes receive help as quickly and efficiently as possible.'

Local officials aren't so sure. Jonathan Lord, head of emergency management in Flagler County, Florida, said he can no longer count on FEMA workers to canvass neighbourhoods and help survivors after a disaster. 'The writing is on the wall that workforce may not be available to us,' Lord said.