Trump Renominates Cameron Hamilton To Lead FEMA After 2025 Firing And Agency Turmoil
President Trump formally nominated Cameron Hamilton to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Monday, May 11, 2026, roughly one year after removing him from the role.[1] If the Senate confirms him, Hamilton would retake control of FEMA as the agency heads into the Atlantic hurricane season.[1]
Hamilton served as FEMA's acting leader in spring 2025 and was removed in May 2025 after telling Congress FEMA should not be eliminated.[1] He later described his relationship with Department of Homeland Security officials as "very hostile" on the Disaster Tough podcast.[1] A Trump-appointed council of disaster experts recommended major changes to FEMA operations last week, and the council's proposals position Hamilton as the likely implementer if he is confirmed.[1]
Former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem had required sign-off on all FEMA contracts over $100,000 before her March firing, a policy that created a bottleneck and slowed disaster response under Hamilton's successor.[1] After deadly floods in central Texas in summer 2025, tens of thousands of calls to FEMA from survivors went unanswered because call center contracts had been allowed to expire.[1] Hamilton criticized Noem's policies in a LinkedIn post, calling them "entirely new forms of bureaucracy" that lengthened wait times and delayed time-sensitive resources.[1]
PBS also reported the nomination on Monday.[2]
Show source details & analysis (2 sources)
📌 Key Facts
- NPR reports that on Monday, May 11, 2026, President Trump formally nominated Cameron Hamilton to lead FEMA, roughly one year after removing him from the same role (Cameron Hamilton).
- Hamilton previously served as FEMA’s acting leader in spring 2025 and was removed in May 2025 after telling Congress FEMA should not be eliminated; he later described his relationship with DHS officials as “very hostile” on the Disaster Tough podcast.
- NPR notes FEMA has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since President Trump took office, and if the Senate confirms him Hamilton would retake control of FEMA) as the agency heads into the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season.
- A Trump-appointed council of disaster experts recommended major changes to FEMA operations “last week,” and the council’s proposals position the Trump-appointed council of disaster experts as likely reforms Hamilton would implement if confirmed.
- NPR says former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem personally required sign-off on all FEMA contracts over $100,000 before her March firing, a policy that created a bottleneck and slowed disaster response under Hamilton’s successor (Kristi Noem).
- As a concrete operational example, after deadly floods in central Texas in summer 2025 tens of thousands of calls to FEMA from survivors went unanswered because call center contracts had been allowed to expire.
- Hamilton criticized Noem’s changes in a prior LinkedIn post, saying they imposed “entirely new forms of bureaucracy” that lengthened wait times, delayed time-sensitive resources and that claims of improved efficiency could amount to “lying.”
📰 Source Timeline (2)
Follow how coverage of this story developed over time
- NPR confirms on Monday, May 11, 2026, that President Trump has formally nominated Cameron Hamilton to lead FEMA, approximately one year after removing him from the same role.
- The article specifies that FEMA has been without a Senate-confirmed leader since President Trump took office, and that Hamilton previously led the agency only in an acting capacity during spring 2025.
- NPR notes Hamilton would retake control of FEMA as it heads into the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season if the Senate confirms him.
- The piece reiterates that a Trump-appointed council of disaster experts recommended major changes to FEMA operations "last week," positioning Hamilton as the likely implementer of those reforms if confirmed.
- NPR details that former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem personally required sign-off on all FEMA contracts over $100,000 before her March firing, creating a bottleneck that slowed disaster response under Hamilton's successor.
- As a concrete example of operational impact, NPR reports that after deadly floods in central Texas in summer 2025, tens of thousands of calls to FEMA from survivors went unanswered because call center contracts had been allowed to expire.
- The article quotes Hamilton's prior LinkedIn post criticizing Noem's policies as imposing "entirely new forms of bureaucracy" that lengthened wait times for claim recipients and delayed deployment of time-sensitive resources, and saying claims of improved efficiency could amount to "lying."
- NPR notes Hamilton later described his relationship with DHS officials as "very hostile" on the Disaster Tough podcast after his May 2025 removal for telling Congress FEMA should not be eliminated.