Federal Judge Blocks Homeland Security Plan For 50 Percent FEMA Cuts
Federal Judge Susan Illston blocked the Department of Homeland Security's plan to cut FEMA's workforce by 50% in a late Friday, Sept. 11 ruling, finding the plan unlawful.[1]
Illston wrote that laws passed after Hurricane Katrina in 2005 reserve staffing decisions to FEMA and prohibit DHS from substantially curtailing the agency's functions.[1] She said the 50 percent reduction plan grew out of directives issued in late 2025 by DHS leaders under Secretary Kristi Noem that asked FEMA to propose the cuts.[1] The decision arrives after the planned cuts were never fully carried out and FEMA has begun rehiring some staff who were terminated following leadership changes.[1]
In late 2025, DHS leaders under Secretary Noem instructed FEMA to prepare a proposal for a 50 percent workforce reduction, a directive that triggered legal challenges and the court review that produced Friday's ruling.[1]
The ruling effectively curtails DHS's ability to carry out that sweeping reorganization without FEMA's own statutory authority, and it leaves open questions about how the agency will proceed as rehiring and leadership adjustments continue.
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📌 Key Facts
- Late Friday, September 11, 2026, Judge Susan Illston ruled that DHS’s plan for 50 percent FEMA staffing cuts was unlawful.
- Illston held that post-2005 Katrina laws reserve FEMA staffing decisions to FEMA and prohibit DHS from substantially reducing its functions.
- The illegal plan arose from late-2025 directives by DHS leaders under Secretary Kristi Noem that FEMA propose a 50 percent workforce reduction.
- The 50 percent cuts were never fully carried out, and in recent months FEMA has begun rehiring some terminated staff after leadership changes.
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