Trump nominates Cameron Hamilton to lead FEMA, a year after he was fired from the role
PBS NewsHour – Politics — 2026-05-11 16:05:00 — www.pbs.org
President Donald Trump nominated Cameron Hamilton Monday to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency, a surprising comeback for the former Navy SEAL who was fired from his role as FEMA’s temporary leader last year after he defended its existence.
His nomination comes as the Trump administration has increasingly signaled it is backing away from promises to dismantle FEMA, an agency that has faced withering criticism by the president. The nomination of Hamilton, who argued abolishing FEMA was not in the country’s best interests, is the latest indication of that change.
If confirmed, Hamilton would be the principal adviser to Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on emergency management and FEMA’s first permanent administrator in Trump’s second term. The agency has gone through three temporary leaders, including Hamilton’s brief tenure from January to May 2025.
He would take over an embattled agency still reeling from Kristi Noem’s turbulent leadership of the Department of Homeland Security, of which FEMA is part. FEMA’s workforce has been worn down by mass staff departures, policies that hamstrung operations and a 75-day-long DHS shutdown that ended Apr. 30.
Hamilton will need to ensure the agency is prepared for summer disaster season, just weeks away, while answering to Trump, who is likely to expect major reforms after a council he appointed recommended sweeping changes last Friday.
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“Now is the opportunity to stabilize FEMA,” said Michael Coen, the agency’s chief of staff in the Obama and Biden administrations.
Fired after defending FEMA
Hamilton, who had never been a state or local emergency management director and who had publicly criticized FEMA in the past, was a controversial choice when Trump named him temporary leader in January 2025, just days before the president floated the idea of “getting rid” of FEMA.
His rupture with DHS officials began as he defended a federal role in supporting disaster-impacted states, tribes and territories.
“Once the conversation shifted to, ‘Now we’re going to abolish,’ I immediately expressed concern,” he said last September on the “Disaster Tough” podcast with John Scardena, a former FEMA incident management team leader.
DHS officials even subjected him to a polygraph test, accusing him and other officials of leaking details of a private meeting. He passed, but said he knew his dismissal was inevitable.
At a May 7 appearance before a House Appropriations subcommittee, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat, asked Hamilton if he believed FEMA should be abolished.
“I do not believe it is in the best interest of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” he replied. The next day, he was fired.
Hamilton will have to rebuild trust
Defending FEMA despite knowing it would likely cost him his job garnered respect and trust among people whose job it is to lead communities through crisis, said Scardena, now president of the consultancy Doberman Emergency Management Group, which trains emergency managers.
“He won myself over and I think a lot of people by what he did,” Scardena said.
But multiple current FEMA employees who requested anonymity for fear of retribution for speaking publicly told The Associated Press they had concerns over some of the actions taken under Hamilton.
In 2024, Hamilton shared posts on X promoting misinformation about FEMA spending during Hurricane Helene.
During his temporary leadership, FEMA ceased door-to-door canvassing to reach survivors after disasters, and canceled a multibillion-dollar resilience grant program, since restored by a federal judge. The Department of Government Efficiency gained access to internal FEMA networks containing survivors’ private information. FEMA staff were fired for fulfilling a reimbursement payment to New York City for housing undocumented immigrants as part of FEMA’s Shelter and Services program.
Hamilton has said he believes FEMA needs major reform. He has said that he wants FEMA to move faster, that the agency is saddled with responsibilities he sees as outside its remit, and that some states have become too dependent on the agency. A Trump-appointed council last week urged sweeping changes to FEMA, which would require congressional action.
“I think he’s going to need to rebuild trust across the agency,” said Deanne Criswell, FEMA administrator under former President Joe Biden, adding that she believes Hamilton cares about FEMA and she appreciated his outreach to emergency management directors and former officials during and after his tenure.
Senate confirmation process could raise questions of experience
Hamilton could face pushback in the Senate confirmation process over never having led an emergency management agency, a common stepping stone to becoming administrator of an agency with over 21,000 employees.
Federal law requires the FEMA administrator to have “a demonstrated ability in and knowledge of emergency management and homeland security” and at least five years of “executive leadership and management experience.”
Hamilton trained as a Navy hospital corpsman before spending a decade as a Navy SEAL on SEAL Team Eight. He then became a U.S. State Department emergency management specialist handling overseas crisis response, then directed emergency medical services at DHS.
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President Donald Trump nominated Cameron Hamilton Monday to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), marking a surprising return for the former Navy SEAL who was dismissed from his temporary role last year after he defended the agency’s existence. This nomination signals a shift in the Trump administration’s stance, which had previously indicated a desire to dismantle FEMA, an agency that has faced significant criticism from the president. Hamilton’s nomination, which comes after he argued that abolishing FEMA was not in the nation’s best interests, reflects this change in direction.
If confirmed, Hamilton would serve as the principal adviser to Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on emergency management, becoming FEMA’s first permanent administrator in Trump’s second term. The agency has experienced instability, having cycled through three temporary leaders, including Hamilton’s own brief tenure from January to May 2025. He will take over an agency that is still recovering from the tumultuous leadership of Kristi Noem at the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA. The agency’s workforce has been strained by mass staff departures, operational challenges, and a lengthy DHS shutdown that recently concluded.
How this sits against verifiable accuracy
The excerpt outlines Trump’s nomination of Cameron Hamilton to lead FEMA, highlighting Hamilton’s previous dismissal for defending the agency. It indicates that the Trump administration is reconsidering its earlier position on FEMA, which had been characterized by calls for its abolition. For such claims to be well-supported, there would typically need to be evidence of a clear policy shift or statements from Trump or his administration that explicitly confirm this change in direction regarding FEMA’s future.
The excerpt does not provide outside verification for these claims, nor does it include any direct statements from Trump that would confirm or contradict the characterization of his views on FEMA. Instead, it presents Hamilton’s perspective on the necessity of FEMA and the implications of his previous dismissal, which adds context but does not serve as a definitive verification of Trump’s stance.
What the excerpt shows about verifiable lies
The excerpt does not present any statements from Trump that are shown to be false or misleading. It discusses Hamilton’s previous defense of FEMA and his subsequent firing, but it does not provide evidence of any specific lies or inaccuracies in Trump’s statements regarding FEMA. Therefore, there are no verifiable lies to address based on the content provided.
Targets and tone
The excerpt does not indicate that Trump has singled out, insulted, or demeaned any specific individuals or groups. It focuses on Hamilton’s nomination and the context surrounding FEMA without including any disparaging remarks or hostile rhetoric from Trump. The language used is neutral and factual, primarily discussing the implications of Hamilton’s nomination and the challenges facing FEMA.
In summary, the nomination of Cameron Hamilton to lead FEMA reflects a notable shift in the Trump administration’s approach to the agency, moving away from previous calls for its dismantling. However, the excerpt lacks direct evidence of Trump’s statements or actions that would clarify his current stance on FEMA, leaving some questions about the administration’s intentions unresolved.