Trump taps former FEMA director to lead the disaster agency again - BERITAJA

Cameron Hamilton, above, has been nominated by President Trump to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). He antecedently led the agency successful an acting capacity, but was removed by the Trump management about a twelvemonth agone aft telling Congress that did not deliberation the agency should beryllium eliminated. Jose Luis Magana/AP

Jose Luis Magana/AP

President Trump nominated Cameron Hamilton to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), about 1 twelvemonth aft the management removed Hamilton from the aforesaid position.

FEMA has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since President Trump took office. Hamilton antecedently led the agency successful an acting capacity. If he is confirmed by the Senate, he will re-take power of the agency arsenic it heads into the Atlantic hurricane season.

Last week, a Trump appointed assembly of disaster experts recommended awesome changes to really FEMA operates.

Hamilton is simply a erstwhile Navy Seal who worked connected emergency readying for coercion events for the State Department and Department of Homeland Security (DHS), according to an charismatic biographical summary submitted to Congress erstwhile he appeared arsenic a witnesser past year.

Hamilton temporarily led FEMA successful the outpouring of 2025, but was removed by the Trump management aft a melodramatic nationalist disagreement pinch apical management officials about whether the agency should proceed to exist.

"President Trump has been very clear since the opening that he believes that FEMA and its consequence successful many, galore circumstances has grounded the American people, and that FEMA arsenic it exists coming should beryllium eliminated," erstwhile Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem told reporters successful May 2025.

That aforesaid week, Hamilton testified astatine a Congressional proceeding and told lawmakers, "I do not judge it is successful the champion liking of the American group to destruct the Federal Emergency Management Agency."

The adjacent day, Hamilton was replaced. He later described his narration pinch DHS officials arsenic "very hostile" connected the podcast Disaster Tough.

Since then, Hamilton has spoken retired against the Trump administration's attack to helping survivors of disasters.

Under Hamilton's successor, FEMA was slow to thief those who had survived hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and wildfires. Secretary Noem, who was fired from her position astatine DHS successful March, required that she personally motion disconnected connected each contracts complete $100,000, creating a bottleneck for the fast-moving disaster agency. In 1 case, aft deadly floods deed cardinal Texas past summer, tens of thousands of calls to FEMA from survivors went unanswered because telephone halfway contracts had been allowed to expire.

Noem many times defended her decisions, arguing that FEMA was moving efficiently. But Hamilton raised the siren about Noem's policies. They imposed "entirely caller forms of bureaucracy now that is lengthening hold times for declare recipients, and delaying the deployment of clip delicate resources," Hamilton wrote connected the networking website LinkedIn.

In the aforesaid post, he said claims that the administration's policies were causing FEMA to tally much efficiently could magnitude to "lying."

Hamilton now faces Senate confirmation hearings. Lawmakers from some parties person expressed vexation pinch agelong waits for disaster assistance and federal assistance money to protect group crossed the state from floods, fires and storms.