Cameron Hamilton, above, has been nominated by President Trump to guide the Federal Emergency Administration Company (FEMA). He beforehand led the company in an performing capability, however was eliminated by the Trump administration a few yr in the past after telling Congress that didn’t suppose the company ought to be eradicated.
Jose Luis Magana/AP
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Jose Luis Magana/AP
President Trump nominated Cameron Hamilton to guide the Federal Emergency Administration Company (FEMA), roughly one yr after the administration eliminated Hamilton from the identical place.
FEMA has been with out a Senate-confirmed chief since President Trump took workplace. Hamilton beforehand led the company in an performing capability. If he’s confirmed by the Senate, he’ll re-take management of the company because it heads into the Atlantic hurricane season.
Final week, a Trump appointed council of catastrophe specialists really useful main modifications to how FEMA operates.
Hamilton is a former Navy Seal who labored on emergency planning for terrorism occasions for the State Division and Division of Homeland Safety (DHS), based on an official biographical abstract submitted to Congress when he appeared as a witness final yr.
Hamilton quickly led FEMA within the spring of 2025, however was eliminated by the Trump administration after a dramatic public disagreement with prime administration officers about whether or not the company ought to live on.
“President Trump has been very clear for the reason that starting that he believes that FEMA and its response in lots of, many circumstances has failed the American folks, and that FEMA because it exists at this time ought to be eradicated,” former Division of Homeland Safety Secretary Kristi Noem informed reporters in Could 2025.
That very same week, Hamilton testified at a Congressional listening to and informed lawmakers, “I don’t imagine it’s in the perfect curiosity of the American folks to eradicate the Federal Emergency Administration Company.”
The following day, Hamilton was changed. He later described his relationship with DHS officers as “very hostile” on the podcast Catastrophe Powerful.
Since then, Hamilton has spoken out towards the Trump administration’s strategy to serving to survivors of disasters.
Underneath Hamilton’s successor, FEMA was gradual to assist those that had survived hurricanes, tornadoes, floods and wildfires. Secretary Noem, who was fired from her place at DHS in March, required that she personally log out on all contracts over $100,000, making a bottleneck for the fast-moving catastrophe company. In a single case, after lethal floods hit central Texas final summer season, tens of hundreds of calls to FEMA from survivors went unanswered as a result of name heart contracts had been allowed to run out.
Noem repeatedly defended her selections, arguing that FEMA was working effectively. However Hamilton raised the alarm about Noem’s insurance policies. They imposed “completely new types of paperwork now that’s lengthening wait occasions for declare recipients, and delaying the deployment of time delicate assets,” Hamilton wrote on the networking web site LinkedIn.
In the identical put up, he stated claims that the administration’s insurance policies have been inflicting FEMA to run extra effectively might quantity to “mendacity.”
Hamilton now faces Senate affirmation hearings. Lawmakers from each events have expressed frustration with lengthy waits for catastrophe help and federal grant cash to guard folks throughout the nation from floods, fires and storms.
