Trump Taps Cameron Hamilton To Lead Fema After He Was Ousted From Agency

President Donald Trump has nominated Cameron Hamilton to lead nan Federal Emergency Management Agency, marking a astonishing return for nan erstwhile Navy SEAL who was dismissed from his impermanent activity domiciled astatine FEMA past twelvemonth aft defending its existence.

This information comes arsenic nan Trump management appears to beryllium reversing its erstwhile stance connected dismantling FEMA, an agency that has faced important disapproval from nan president. Hamilton, who antecedently advocated against abolishing FEMA, represents a notable displacement successful this policy.

If confirmed, Hamilton would service arsenic nan superior advisor to President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin connected emergency management, becoming FEMA’s first imperishable administrator successful Trump’s 2nd term.

The agency has gone done 3 impermanent leaders, including Hamilton’s little tenure from January to May 2025.

He would return complete an embattled agency still reeling from Kristi Noem’s turbulent activity of nan Department of Homeland Security, of which FEMA is part. FEMA’s workforce has been worn down by wide unit departures, policies that hamstrung operations and a 75-day-long DHS shutdown that ended Apr. 30.

Hamilton will request to guarantee nan agency is prepared for summertime disaster season, conscionable weeks away, while answering to Trump, who is apt to expect awesome reforms aft a assembly he appointed recommended sweeping changes past Friday.

“Now is nan opportunity to stabilize FEMA,” said Michael Coen, nan agency’s main of unit successful nan Obama and Biden administrations.

Fired aft defending FEMA

Hamilton, who had ne'er been a authorities aliases section emergency guidance head and who had publically criticized FEMA successful nan past, was a arguable prime erstwhile Trump named him impermanent leader successful January 2025, conscionable days earlier nan president floated nan thought of “getting rid” of FEMA.

His rupture pinch DHS officials began arsenic he defended a national domiciled successful supporting disaster-impacted states, tribes and territories.

“Once nan speech shifted to, ‘Now we’re going to abolish,’ I instantly expressed concern,” he said past September connected nan “Disaster Tough” podcast pinch John Scardena, a erstwhile FEMA incident guidance squad leader.

DHS officials moreover subjected him to a polygraph test, accusing him and different officials of leaking specifications of a backstage meeting. He passed, but said he knew his dismissal was inevitable.

At a May 7 quality earlier a House Appropriations subcommittee, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat, asked Hamilton if he believed FEMA should beryllium abolished.

“I do not judge it is successful nan champion liking of nan American group to destruct nan Federal Emergency Management Agency,” he replied. The adjacent day, he was fired.

Hamilton will person to rebuild trust

Defending FEMA contempt knowing it would apt costs him his occupation garnered respect and spot among group whose occupation it is to lead communities done crisis, said Scardena, now president of nan consultancy Doberman Emergency Management Group, which trains emergency managers.

“He won myself complete and I deliberation a batch of group by what he did,” Scardena said.

But aggregate existent FEMA labor who requested anonymity for fearfulness of retribution for speaking publically told The Associated Press they had concerns complete immoderate of nan actions taken nether Hamilton.

In 2024, Hamilton shared posts connected X promoting misinformation astir FEMA spending during Hurricane Helene.

During his impermanent leadership, FEMA ceased door-to-door canvassing to scope survivors aft disasters, and canceled a multibillion-dollar resilience assistance program, since restored by a national judge. The Department of Government Efficiency gained entree to soul FEMA networks containing survivors’ backstage information. FEMA unit were fired for fulfilling a reimbursement costs to New York City for lodging undocumented immigrants arsenic portion of FEMA’s Shelter and Services program.

Hamilton has said he believes FEMA needs awesome reform. He has said that he wants FEMA to move faster, that nan agency is saddled pinch responsibilities he sees arsenic extracurricular its remit, and that immoderate states person go excessively limited connected nan agency. A Trump-appointed assembly past week urged sweeping changes to FEMA, which would require legislature action.

“I deliberation he’s going to request to rebuild spot crossed nan agency,” said Deanne Criswell, FEMA administrator nether erstwhile President Joe Biden, adding that she believes Hamilton cares astir FEMA and she appreciated his outreach to emergency guidance board and erstwhile officials during and aft his tenure.

Senate confirmation process could raise questions of experience

Hamilton could look pushback successful nan Senate confirmation process complete ne'er having led an emergency guidance agency, a communal stepping chromatic to becoming administrator of an agency pinch complete 21,000 employees.

Federal rule requires nan FEMA administrator to person “a demonstrated expertise successful and knowledge of emergency guidance and homeland security” and astatine slightest 5 years of “executive activity and guidance experience.”

Hamilton trained arsenic a Navy infirmary corpsman earlier spending a decade arsenic a Navy SEAL connected SEAL Team Eight. He past became a U.S. State Department emergency guidance master handling overseas situation response, past directed emergency aesculapian services astatine DHS.