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Inside Trump’s push to smother FEMA



The Federal Emergency Management Agency is facing the prospect of deep staff
cuts next year, according to internal documents that raise new questions on the
Trump administration’s plans for disaster response.

The Washington Post reports that internal Department of Homeland Security
emails and spreadsheets lay out proposals to eliminate thousands of jobs tied
directly to disaster recovery and response.

The cuts, according to three people briefed on the plans, would be phased in
throughout 2026.



The first move appears to have already happened on New Year’s Eve, when
roughly 65 positions were eliminated from FEMA’s Cadre of On-Call Response and
Recovery, known as CORE.




 



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Those employees are often among the first deployed after natural disasters,
and many remain embedded in affected communities for years. Independent
journalist Marisa Kabas and CNN first reported the initial round of cuts.

A FEMA spokesperson did not immediately respond to Daily Kos’ request for
comment, but told the Post that those layoffs were unrelated to the broader
planning described in the leaked emails.

Indeed, the documents reviewed by the Post suggest that something much larger
is taking shape.

One spreadsheet circulated among senior FEMA officials proposes cutting 41% of
CORE roles, amounting to more than 4,300 jobs. Another outlines an 85%
reduction in surge staffing, which includes standby workers deployed
immediately after disasters. That would eliminate nearly 6,500 positions.

Taken together, CNN reports, FEMA’s workforce could shrink by more than
half—or more than 11,500 jobs—by the next fiscal year beginning in October.

CORE positions are typically renewed every two to four years, a routine
process reflecting the length of recovery work. But emails reviewed by the Post
show that, in mid-December, DHS stripped FEMA of its authority to renew those
contracts independently. Instead, renewals now require review by Homeland
Security Secretary Kristi Noem.




 



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But DHS has tried to wave the whole thing off. A FEMA spokesperson told the
Post that the agency has “not issued and is not implementing a percentage-based
workforce reduction” and instead characterized the documents as a “routine,
pre-decisional planning exercise” required by federal guidance.

That assurance rings hollow to former FEMA officials. Two former senior
leaders told the Post that Noem has long pushed to shrink FEMA—and, relatedly,
CORE staffing—and has been a ringleader in helping shape the current proposals.



Internal emails also point to what one person familiar with the documents
called “deliberate” discussions about retaining staff who are deemed
“absolutely necessary.”

Former acting FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton warned that cuts of this
scale would almost certainly slow aid to disaster survivors. Fewer federal
workers on the ground would force states to take on more responsibility while
navigating a complex federal aid system, which the Trump administration has
also promised to overhaul.

The potential layoffs fit into a broader effort by the Trump administration to
shrink FEMA and shift disaster response to the states.

Since Trump returned to office, administration officials have repeatedly
portrayed the agency as bloated and ineffective.

DHS said that it terminated 50 employees on Jan. 2, calling the move “a
routine staff adjustment.” But internal documents point to something far more
consequential.

If carried out, these cuts won’t be felt most acutely in Washington, but by
communities still struggling to recover from devastation.



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