Trump nominated Cameron Hamilton on Monday to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency, bringing him back to a top emergency-management role about a year after he was dismissed from a temporary job at FEMA. The move signals a shift in how the administration has talked about the agency’s future, after Trump had floated ideas in earlier discussions about getting rid of FEMA.
The nomination would make Hamilton a principal adviser to Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on emergency management and FEMA policy, and would put him in line to become FEMA’s first permanent administrator in Trump’s second term if the Senate confirms him. FEMA’s administrator position sits within a broader Department of Homeland Security structure, and the agency has continued to operate amid significant internal upheaval.
Hamilton’s return also comes as FEMA prepares for the summer disaster season, which begins in just weeks. The nomination adds urgency to an agency effort to regain stability after what the administration said is a need for major reforms, including changes that a Trump-appointed council recommended last Friday and that would require congressional action.
The circumstances around Hamilton’s dismissal last year are central to how his nomination is being received inside Washington. In January 2025, Trump named Hamilton as a temporary FEMA leader shortly before Trump publicly floated the idea of “getting rid” of FEMA, a choice that drew criticism at the time because Hamilton had previously criticized FEMA and had not previously led a state or local emergency management agency.
Hamilton publicly defended FEMA during his time in the temporary role, including when he warned that abolishing it would not serve the public interest. In testimony at a House Appropriations subcommittee on May 7, Rep. Rosa DeLauro asked whether Hamilton believed FEMA should be abolished, and Hamilton responded, “I do not believe it is in the best interest of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency.” DeLauro’s question came the day before Hamilton was fired.
Hamilton’s critics point to what they say were problematic decisions and choices during his short tenure. Multiple current FEMA employees, who requested anonymity for fear of retribution for speaking publicly, told The Associated Press that they had concerns about some actions taken under Hamilton’s leadership. The report described additional friction, including that in 2024 Hamilton shared posts on X promoting misinformation about FEMA spending during Hurricane Helene.
The accounts of operational changes during Hamilton’s leadership also include actions that emergency management experts and oversight experts have linked to confusion or disruption. According to the report, FEMA stopped door-to-door canvassing meant to reach survivors after disasters, and canceled a multibillion-dollar resilience grant program that was later restored by a federal judge. The report also said the Department of Government Efficiency gained access to internal FEMA networks containing survivors’ private information, and that 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.
Supporters and some former emergency management officials said Hamilton earned respect among responders by defending FEMA even after it appeared likely to end his job. John Scardena, a former FEMA incident management team leader who now runs the consultancy Doberman Emergency Management Group, said Hamilton “won myself over and I think a lot of people by what he did.” Scardena described Hamilton as someone who defended FEMA while also recognizing the political pressure around the agency.
Michael Coen, FEMA’s chief of staff in the Obama and Biden administrations, said, “Now is the opportunity to stabilize FEMA.” Deanne Criswell, FEMA administrator under former President Joe Biden, said Hamilton would need to rebuild trust across the agency, adding that she believes Hamilton cares about FEMA and that she appreciated his outreach to emergency management directors and former officials during and after his tenure.
If confirmed, Hamilton would step into an agency dealing with the fallout from staffing departures and other policy shifts that are described as hamstringing operations, including a 75-day-long DHS shutdown that ended April 30. The nomination also places Hamilton in the Senate confirmation process, where the report said he could face pushback because he had never led an emergency management agency—an experience path that is often seen as a common stepping stone for the FEMA administrator job.
Federal law requires the FEMA administrator to have “a demonstrated ability in and knowledge of emergency management and homeland security,” plus at least five years of “executive leadership and management experience.” The report said Hamilton trained as a Navy hospital corpsman before spending a decade as a Navy SEAL on SEAL Team Eight, then became a U.S. State Department emergency management specialist handling overseas crisis response, and later directed emergency medical services at DHS.
For now, the administration’s decision puts the focus back on FEMA’s direction and capacity to respond, with Hamilton’s nomination also turning on whether senators view his experience as sufficient and whether he can rebuild internal credibility after a contentious tenure.