In a stunning reversal that has sent shockwaves through Washington, President Trump plans to nominate Cameron Hamilton to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency—less than a year after the former Navy SEAL was unceremoniously fired from the very same position for publicly defying the administration’s plans to dismantle the disaster relief agency.
The decision delivers a sharp political embarrassment to former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who orchestrated Hamilton’s removal last May, and raises fresh questions about leadership stability at an agency that has weathered unprecedented turmoil over the past 15 months.
Hamilton, who served as acting FEMA administrator from January to May 2025, was pushed out just one day after delivering explosive testimony on Capitol Hill in which he broke ranks with the White House. During his May 7, 2025, appearance before a House Appropriations subcommittee, Hamilton made clear his opposition to the administration’s sweeping plans for the agency.
“As the senior advisor to the president on disasters and emergency management, and to the secretary of homeland security, I do not believe it is in the best interest of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” Hamilton told lawmakers, with the knowledge that his firing loomed just hours away.
His defiant testimony came as the Trump administration was aggressively pursuing plans to phase out FEMA and shift disaster response responsibilities to individual states—an idea President Trump had floated just days into his second term. The president had said the administration would begin “phasing out” the agency following the hurricane season.
During his brief tenure, Hamilton increasingly clashed with Secretary Noem and Corey Lewandowski, the longtime Trump ally who served as a special government employee and top adviser to Noem at the Department of Homeland Security. Hamilton has said his relationship with DHS officials became “very hostile,” and he later told NBC News he was pushed out by Lewandowski.
Under Noem’s leadership, FEMA underwent an aggressive overhaul that saw more than 2,400 employees depart through voluntary programs and terminations, hollowed out senior leadership, and created a multibillion-dollar backlog in disaster funding. Noem also imposed a rule requiring any DHS spending over $100,000 to be personally approved by the secretary, effectively grinding operations to a halt. The overhaul triggered fierce backlash from state and local officials nationwide, including prominent Republican lawmakers who depend on federal disaster assistance for their constituents.
Hamilton met with President Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin at the White House on Wednesday, April 16, to discuss FEMA opportunities. Trump offered Hamilton the job during that meeting, according to sources familiar with the decision. If confirmed by the Senate, Hamilton would become the first full-time FEMA administrator of Trump’s second term—the agency has been led exclusively by acting leaders for the past 15 months and is currently on its third temporary administrator.
The dramatic about-face appears to reflect a broader shift in the administration’s approach to FEMA. Since taking the helm at DHS, Secretary Mullin has begun rolling back several Noem-era policies, striking a markedly different tone by praising FEMA’s work and pushing to streamline disaster aid to communities. Mullin recently visited North Carolina to discuss recovery efforts from Hurricane Helene in 2024, drawing public praise from Hamilton on social media.
“This is leadership in action,” Hamilton wrote about Mullin’s North Carolina visit, signaling a warmer relationship with the current DHS leadership.
Hamilton’s path to FEMA leadership has been unconventional. The former combat medic spent a decade in the U.S. Navy SEALs, serving on SEAL Team Eight with four overseas deployments in support of Operation Enduring Freedom between 2005 and 2015. After his military service, he worked at the State Department supporting crisis response teams and the Bureau of Counterterrorism, and later served as an emergency management specialist at the State Department.
Before his first stint leading FEMA, Hamilton oversaw DHS’s division for emergency first responders. He also lost a Republican primary bid for Congress in Virginia’s 7th District in 2024. Critics have noted his limited experience managing natural disasters before being tapped to lead the nation’s primary disaster response agency.
In early April, Hamilton thanked President Trump on social media for the previous opportunity to lead FEMA. “I wish my tenure had been longer, as there is still much more work to do for reform,” he wrote. He added that under Mullin’s leadership, “good things will come.”
The administration appears to be pulling back from its most sweeping plans for FEMA, though the agency still awaits a final report from the FEMA Review Council that could recommend significant reforms. The proposal to cut $646 million in non-disaster grants during the 2026 fiscal year remains under consideration.
Both the White House and Department of Homeland Security declined to officially comment on the nomination. A DHS spokesperson told NBC News, “DHS has no personnel announcements to make at this time.”
The rehabilitation of Hamilton—from fired bureaucrat to presidential nominee in less than a year—underscores the chaotic personnel management that has characterized this administration’s approach to disaster response, leaving FEMA without permanent leadership during a critical period when communities across the nation continue recovering from recent catastrophes.
