Acting FEMA administrator out after pushing back against Trump agency plans
FOX NewsMAY 9
FEMA Chief Hamilton Fired
Above: Cameron Hamilton, then-acting administrator for the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), during a House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security hearing in Washington, D.C., U.S., on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Image copyright: Pete Kiehart/Contributor/Bloomberg via Getty Images
The Spin
Republican narrative
Trump was elected to overhaul every corrupt federal agency, one of the worst of which, as everyone who's experienced recent hurricanes knows, is FEMA. Not only has the agency failed to protect Americans from disasters, but it's actively endangered them by offering race-based assistance. With billions of dollars wasted by FEMA bureaucrats every year, it's time for Washington to hand these resources to state officials who know what's best for their people.
Democratic narrative
Eliminating FEMA would be disastrous. The agency, despite flaws, coordinates critical federal resources — $34.7 billion for Puerto Rico post-Maria, $61 billion for COVID, and $316M for North Carolina after Helene. States lack the capacity to handle major disasters alone, and FEMA’s role in mobilizing the Army Corps of Engineers and managing flood insurance is irreplaceable. Gutting it risks slower responses, more deaths, and chaotic recoveries.