Trump Returns to Fired Boss as FEMA Head

UPDATE May 11, 2026 4:57 PM CDT

President Trump on Monday nominated Cameron Hamilton, who was ousted last year from FEMA after publicly expressing support for it, to become the agency's administrator. Hamilton would become the first person to head FEMA who wasn't operating in an acting capacity of Trump's second term, per the New York Times. A panel selected by Trump last week recommended overhauling and shrinking the agency.

Apr 17, 2026 6:25 AM CDT

Cameron Hamilton may be headed back to the job he was pushed out of last year. President Trump plans to tap Hamilton to once again lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency, two people briefed on the decision tell the New York Times, even though the former acting administrator has relatively little background in large-scale disaster response. Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL who unsuccessfully ran for Congress in Virginia in 2024, was removed as acting FEMA chief last year under former Homeland Security chief Kristi Noem after he publicly broke with Trump's stated interest in doing away with the agency, telling lawmakers, "I do not believe it is in the best interest of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency."

Hamilton said in September that his relationship with DHS officials subsequently became "very hostile" during his short tenure. Noem's successor, Markwayne Mullin, has said he supports FEMA, in what the AP frames as a "stark contrast" from her position. If formally nominated, Hamilton would face Senate confirmation and questions about whether he meets post-Katrina legal requirements that the FEMA head have substantial emergency management experience. He has previously held emergency-related roles at the State Department and DHS, and would inherit an agency with thousands fewer employees and an uncertain future.