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Leader of FEMA Is Dismissed as Trump Administration Takes Aim at the Agency
The ouster of Cameron Hamilton, less than a month before the start of the hurricane season, came a day after he told lawmakers that FEMA was vital to communities in their greatest times of need and should not be eliminated.
By Christopher Flavelle
Christopher Flavelle has covered FEMA for a decade.
May 8, 2025
Updated 3:10 p.m. ET
https://www.nytimes.com/2025/05/08/us/politics/fema-cameron-hamilton.html
Cameron Hamilton, the acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was pushed out of the job on Thursday, according to several people familiar with his departure. His ouster came a day after he told members of Congress that FEMA which President Trump has suggested should be disbanded was vital to communities in their greatest times of need and should not be eliminated.
The agency, which coordinates the federal response to natural disasters, confirmed in a statement that Mr. Hamilton was no longer serving as acting administrator. Many other senior leaders have been fired or decided to leave as the agency has faced an uncertain future.
On Tuesday, Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose agency includes FEMA, testified before lawmakers that FEMA should be eliminated. Mr. Hamilton, appearing before Congress on Wednesday, said instead that FEMA must return to its roots, helping state and local governments respond to disasters.
Communities look to FEMA in their greatest times of need, Mr. Hamilton told lawmakers, and its imperative that we remain ready to respond to those challenges.
markodochartaigh
(5,026 posts)hasn't been part of the Republican playbook since Ike.
malaise
(292,740 posts)May 15.
This is rare but
https://www.quora.com/Do-hurricanes-ever-jump-over-Central-America-and-continue-through-the-Pacific
sakabatou
(45,769 posts)Dump: Too bad, so sad. Fuck you.
AZJonnie
(2,785 posts)Hey, who remembers the magafolk (and IQ45 himself) freaking the fuck out that FEMA wasn't 'doing enough' after the hurricane in the Carolinas? Like, FEMA's help was SUPER CRITICAL back when Biden was in charge. Now they'll just be all 'fuck it, who needs FEMA' because IQ45 told them he wants to get rid of it (like the intellectually dishonest dipshits they are)
JBTaurus83
(873 posts)and the federal government does not help the disaster zones, people will show up to congress and the white house with pitchforks...maybe literally. The GOP will own the entire horrible mess because they abdicated their responsibilities.
Timeflyer
(3,675 posts)as close to that huge-ass piece of property as possible. When you have nothing left to loose, why not.
LetMyPeopleVote
(174,948 posts)One day after acting FEMA chief Cameron Hamilton defended the agencys existence to Congress, he was kicked out of his job.
It's obviously an insanely busy day, but the firing of the Trump-appointed FEMA chief â a conservative Republican and military vet â is among the more outlandish things to happen in Trump World today. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-05-08T19:24:05.442Z
Link to tweet
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/fema-chief-fired-cameron-hamilton-trump-rcna205676
And yet, Hamilton has been fired anyway. Politico reported:
The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency was fired Thursday morning, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation. Cameron Hamilton, FEMAs acting administrator, has told people that he was terminated, leaving the nations disaster agency without a top official three weeks before the start of the Atlantic hurricane season and as Congress scrutinizes FEMAs proposed budget for fiscal 2026.
A Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed Hamiltons departure to NBC News.
The timing of the developments is striking: Just one day before his ouster, Hamilton testified before a House Appropriations Committee panel and defended FEMAs existence, telling lawmakers, I do not believe it is in the best interests of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency......
Oddly enough, the morning after the congressional hearing, Republican Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee, who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, wrote online that Hamiltons leadership at FEMA has been nothing short of amazing. Green added, Since taking the helm at FEMA, thousands of Americans have seen FEMAs promises fulfilled, from housing to disaster relief. President Trump made the right choice!
Right around the time the congressman published that message, Hamilton was kicked out of FEMA.
For what its worth, a DHS spokesperson told NBC News that Hamiltons ouster was unrelated to his testimony. Or put another way, the official line is that the firing of the acting FEMA director just one day after he took a public position that Trump didnt like is a coincidence.