President Donald Trump nominated Cameron Hamilton Monday to guide the Federal Emergency Administration Company, a notable comeback for the previous Navy SEAL who was fired from his function as FEMA’s momentary chief final yr after he defended its existence.
His nomination comes because the Trump administration has more and more signaled it’s backing away from guarantees to dismantle FEMA, an company that has confronted withering criticism by the president. The nomination of Hamilton, who argued abolishing FEMA was not within the nation’s finest pursuits, is the newest indication of that change.
If confirmed, Hamilton can be the principal adviser to Trump and Homeland Safety Secretary Markwayne Mullin on emergency administration and FEMA’s first everlasting administrator in Trump’s second time period. The company has gone via three momentary leaders, together with Hamilton’s transient tenure from January to Might 2025.
He would take over an embattled company nonetheless reeling from Kristi Noem’s turbulent management of the Division of Homeland Safety, of which FEMA is a component. FEMA’s workforce has been worn down by mass employees departures, insurance policies that hamstrung operations and a 75-day-long DHS shutdown that ended April 30.
Hamilton might want to make sure the company is ready for summer season catastrophe season, simply weeks away, whereas answering to Trump, who’s prone to count on main reforms after a council he appointed really helpful sweeping adjustments final Friday.
“Now’s the chance to stabilize FEMA,” mentioned Michael Coen, the company’s chief of employees within the Obama and Biden administrations.
Fired after defending FEMA
Hamilton, who had by no means been a state or native emergency administration director and who had publicly criticized FEMA previously, was a controversial alternative when Trump named him momentary chief in January 2025, simply days earlier than the president floated the thought of “getting rid” of FEMA.
His rupture with DHS officers started as he defended a federal function in supporting disaster-impacted states, tribes and territories.
“As soon as the dialog shifted to, ‘Now we’re going to abolish,’ I instantly expressed concern,” he mentioned final September on the “Catastrophe Robust” podcast with John Scardena, a former FEMA incident administration staff chief.
DHS officers even subjected him to a polygraph check, accusing him and different officers of leaking particulars of a personal assembly. He handed, however mentioned he knew his dismissal was inevitable.
At a Might 7 look earlier than a Home Appropriations subcommittee, Rep. Rosa DeLauro, a Connecticut Democrat, requested Hamilton if he believed FEMA must be abolished.
“I don’t imagine it’s in the very best curiosity of the American folks to remove the Federal Emergency Administration Company,” he replied. The subsequent day, he was fired.
Hamilton should rebuild belief
Defending FEMA regardless of realizing it could seemingly value him his job garnered respect and belief amongst folks whose job it’s to guide communities via disaster, mentioned Scardena, now president of the consultancy Doberman Emergency Administration Group, which trains emergency managers.
“He received myself over and I believe lots of people by what he did,” Scardena mentioned.
However a number of present FEMA workers who requested anonymity for concern of retribution for talking publicly informed The Related Press that they had considerations over among the actions taken beneath Hamilton.
In 2024, Hamilton shared posts on X selling misinformation about FEMA spending throughout Hurricane Helene.
Throughout his momentary management, FEMA ceased door-to-door canvassing to succeed in survivors after disasters, and canceled a multibillion-dollar resilience grant program, since restored by a federal decide. The Division of Authorities Effectivity gained entry to inside FEMA networks containing survivors’ non-public info. FEMA employees had been fired for fulfilling a reimbursement cost to New York Metropolis for housing undocumented immigrants as a part of FEMA’s Shelter and Companies program.
Hamilton has mentioned he believes FEMA wants main reform. He has mentioned that he needs FEMA to maneuver sooner, that the company is saddled with tasks he sees as outdoors its remit, and that some states have turn out to be too depending on the company. A Trump-appointed council final week urged sweeping adjustments to FEMA, which might require congressional motion.
“I believe he’s going to want to rebuild belief throughout the company,” mentioned Deanne Criswell, FEMA administrator beneath former President Joe Biden, including that she believes Hamilton cares about FEMA and he or she appreciated his outreach to emergency administration administrators and former officers throughout and after his tenure.
Senate affirmation course of may elevate questions of expertise
Hamilton may face pushback within the Senate affirmation course of over by no means having led an emergency administration company, a standard stepping stone to changing into administrator of an company with over 21,000 workers.
Federal regulation requires the FEMA administrator to have “a demonstrated capability in and data of emergency administration and homeland safety” and a minimum of 5 years of “govt management and administration expertise.”
Hamilton educated as a Navy hospital corpsman earlier than spending a decade as a Navy SEAL on SEAL Staff Eight. He then grew to become a U.S. State Division emergency administration specialist dealing with abroad disaster response, then directed emergency medical providers at DHS.
