FEMA at a Crossroads: Staffing Crisis and the Next Disaster
As the 2026 hurricane season intensifies and a potentially historic El Niño builds in the Pacific, a pressing question hangs over the Federal Emergency Management Agency: Will FEMA be there when Americans need it most? A new USA TODAY report examines an agency that has endured 18 months of turmoil — mass staffing cuts, leadership instability, allegations of politicized disaster aid, and existential questions about its very future.
The Staffing Crisis
Between January and June 2025, the number of active FEMA employees dropped from approximately 25,800 to 23,350 — a reduction of about 2,450 personnel, including 1,465 who departed through terminations, buyouts, and other measures, according to a Government Accountability Office report. The GAO explicitly warned that these workforce reductions “may reduce how effective a federal response could be in future high-impact disasters.”
The consequences of these cuts became tragically apparent during the catastrophic flooding in Kerr County, Texas, in July 2025, which killed over 120 people, including dozens of children. Emergency call centers recorded answer rates as low as 15% on some days. According to Forbes, FEMA officials reported that new policies implemented by then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem — including a requirement that she personally sign off on all contracts and grants over $100,000 — delayed the deployment of federal search and rescue crews by 72 hours.
Leadership Instability
At least four people have served as acting FEMA chief under the Trump administration. Cameron Hamilton was appointed acting administrator in January 2025 but was ousted by Noem in May 2025 after telling Congress it was not in the best interest of the American people to eliminate FEMA. Trump renominated Hamilton in May 2026, and his confirmation hearing was held on June 17. During that hearing, Hamilton pledged to “restore the American people’s faith in the agency and its vital mission” and to ensure FEMA is “objective, fair and reasonable” in evaluating disaster declaration requests.
Josh Morton, president of the International Association of Emergency Managers-USA, expressed optimism about Hamilton’s return, telling USA TODAY that Hamilton has spent the past year “getting out, meeting everybody, talking to people and learning as much as he could about emergency management at the state level, the local level and the federal level.”
The FEMA Review Council
President Trump established a FEMA Review Council that released its final report on May 7, 2026. Notably, the council did not recommend abolishing FEMA. Instead, it presented 10 executive-level recommendations and more than 150 specific suggestions, including potentially shifting some responsibilities to state and local governments over time. Current Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said the administration is “transforming FEMA into a streamlined, mission focused agency that delivers results.”
Political Controversy Over Disaster Aid
On July 8, 2026, President Trump denied disaster aid requests from four Democratic-led states — Massachusetts, Rhode Island, New York, and New Jersey — while approving aid for six Republican-led states just two days earlier. A POLITICO analysis found that Trump has approved just 23% of disaster requests from states with Democratic governors and two Democratic senators, compared to 89% from states where Republicans hold those offices.
House and Senate Democrats have demanded answers. On July 10, Democratic staff with a House subcommittee released a report alleging that the Department of Homeland Security improperly diverted FEMA resources to support immigration enforcement without legal authority, and instructed FEMA teams to provide special assistance to counties deemed “presidential priorities” based on voting records.
The Climate Challenge
The stakes are rising alongside global temperatures. NOAA has increased the chances for a very strong El Niño to over 80%, with meteorologists warning it could be one of the strongest on record. The El Niño is expected to peak in November and December 2026, potentially causing catastrophic flooding in California, stormier winters in Florida, and more extreme wildfire seasons.
Craig Fugate, who served as FEMA administrator under President Obama, offered a sobering assessment: “What worries me isn’t that FEMA can’t rebuild. History says it can. What worries me is the clock.” Fugate warned that the agency’s greatest vulnerability would come if it were called to manage multiple catastrophic events simultaneously while still supporting ongoing disaster recoveries.
Congressional Action
A bipartisan “Fixing FEMA” bill filed in summer 2025 aims to restructure the agency, including removing it from the Department of Homeland Security and restoring it to Cabinet-level status reporting directly to the president — a structure it had before being absorbed into DHS in 2003. A House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure hearing on FEMA reforms is scheduled for July 15, 2026, where Fugate and other experts are expected to testify.
Beth Trigg, co-founder of Swannanoa Communities Together and a Hurricane Helene survivor, captured the sentiment of many who have interacted with the agency: “We don’t think FEMA needs to be destroyed or eliminated. But it does need to be redesigned to meet community needs in a better way.”
What’s Next
As the peak of hurricane season approaches and a powerful El Niño looms, FEMA faces a test of its capacity and credibility. The agency continues to train and prepare — Robert Ashe, FEMA’s acting Region 4 administrator, told USA TODAY that “our preparation is the same every year.” But with a reduced workforce, unresolved leadership questions, and deepening political divisions over disaster aid, the margin for error has never been thinner.
Key questions remain: Will Cameron Hamilton be confirmed, and what direction will he take the agency? Can the bipartisan “Fixing FEMA” bill gain traction in Congress? And most critically — when the next catastrophic disaster strikes, will FEMA be ready?
A USA TODAY/Ipsos poll from summer 2025 found broad public support for FEMA continuing its mission. As Dinah Voyles-Pulver, the USA TODAY national correspondent who broke this story, noted: “It looks like FEMA will still be around and will be fulfilling the role that it has in the past.” Whether it can fulfill that role effectively is the question that hangs over the nation as disaster season unfolds.