From Forbes: How FEMA Job Cuts Could Make Disasters Even More Costly

https://www.forbes.com/sites/monicasanders/2026/01/07/how-fema-job-cuts-could-make-disasters-even-more-costly/?streamIndex=0

As communities across the United States are still recovering from hurricanes, floods, and wildfires, Federal Emergency Management Agency supervisors are warning staff to prepare for the dismissal of roughly 1,000 disaster workers this month. The FEMA job cuts are part of a broader restructuring effort by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

The affected employees are primarily members of FEMA’s Cadre of On-Call Response and Recovery, commonly referred to as CORE, The New York Times reported, citing three unnamed FEMA employees. The CORE workers play a central role in disaster recovery operations, from processing aid applications to coordinating long-term rebuilding efforts.

CORE roles were designed after Hurricane Katrina to give FEMA flexibility and surge capacity. Unlike permanent civil service positions, CORE jobs allow the agency to move staff quickly to where disasters occur, without being constrained by lengthy hiring processes.

From the NYTimes: FEMA Staff Bracing for Dismissal of 1,000 Disaster Workers The job cuts expected this month are part of a plan by the Homeland Security secretary, Kristi Noem, to remake the agency.

“Federal Emergency Management Agency supervisors are advising their staff to prepare for the elimination of 1,000 jobs this month as part of changes that Kristi Noem, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security, is overseeing at the agency, according to three people with knowledge of the discussions.

The dismissals would apply to contractual FEMA staff whose assignments, which typically last for two or four years, expire this month. The workers, known as FEMA’s Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees, or CORE, help facilitate disaster recovery and emergency preparedness in communities across the country and have historically made up nearly 40 percent of the agency’s work force.

Three FEMA employees, including senior officials and supervisors, all of whom requested anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the news media, confirmed the dismissals.”

From the WashPost: Emails outline potential cuts affecting thousands of FEMA disaster responders

“DHS Secretary Kristi Noem has said she wants to reduce FEMA’s staff by half. Drafted plans show how it can happen.

The Department of Homeland Security drafted plans to drastically cut the Federal Emergency Management Agency workforce in 2026, according to documents obtained by The Washington Post that detail potential reductions to thousands of disaster response and recovery roles.

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Terminations are likely to come in waves, according to three people familiar with the plans who, like some others interviewed for this report, spoke on the condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. They said cuts began on New Year’s Eve with the elimination of about 65 positions that were part of FEMA’s largest workforce, known as the Cadre of On-Call Response and Recovery (CORE) — staffers who are among the first on the ground after a disaster and often stick around for years to help communities recover.”

From EEnews: Trump isn’t the first president who tried to change FEMA. The others failed. A presidential panel plans to vote Thursday on overhauling the disaster agency. Previous attempts attracted widespread opposition.

“A panel advising President Donald Trump on how to reduce the government’s role in responding to natural disasters is likely to recommend changes this week that have been attempted in the past — but failed.

A 13-member expert panel plans to vote Thursday on a final report that could upend 50 years of federal policy by forcing states to pay billions of dollars a year for rebuilding efforts after major storms, wildfires and floods. Trump created the panel after assailing the Federal Emergency Management Agency as slow and feckless while campaigning for president in the wake of Hurricane Helene last year.

Yet for at least a decade, FEMA itself has proposed — and tested — policies to address the problems that Trump has highlighted.”

From EEnews: Trump isn’t the first president who tried to change FEMA. The others failed.

“A panel advising President Donald Trump on how to reduce the government’s role in responding to natural disasters is likely to recommend changes this week that have been attempted in the past — but failed.

A 13-member expert panel plans to vote Thursday on a final report that could upend 50 years of federal policy by forcing states to pay billions of dollars a year for rebuilding efforts after major storms, wildfires and floods. Trump created the panel after assailing the Federal Emergency Management Agency as slow and feckless while campaigning for president in the wake of Hurricane Helene last year.

Yet for at least a decade, FEMA itself has proposed — and tested — policies to address the problems that Trump has highlighted.”

From Carnegie Endowment: FEMA’s Turbulent Year and Uncertain Future . Former agency officials discuss how reforms could reshape the agency and how states should prepare.

“For months, President Donald Trump and his administration have been signaling that the FEMA Review Council’s recommendations and final report would set the direction for the future of the disaster response agency. But last week, the meeting to discuss the report was canceled at the very last minute by the White House. Now, the country remains without a vision for how the government handles disaster recovery and resilience in the context of more extreme, more costly disasters.

To discuss this moment of uncertainty, Carnegie senior fellow Sarah Labowitz spoke with former FEMA administrators Deanne Criswell and Pete Gaynor, as well as Danielle Aymond, a disaster recovery and FEMA funding specialist at Baker Donelson, and Michael Coen, former FEMA chief of staff.”

From CNN: Exclusive: DHS begins slashing FEMA disaster response staff as 2026 begins

“The Trump administration is abruptly cutting dozens of disaster response and recovery staff at the Federal Emergency Management Agency this week, according to internal emails obtained by CNN and sources familiar with the plan.

On New Year’s Eve, some employees received emails saying their positions “would not be renewed” and “therefore, your services will no longer be needed” after their contracts expire in the first days of January.

The cuts target FEMA’s Cadre of On-Call Response and Recovery (CORE) teams, which form the backbone of the agency’s operations during and after a disaster, and could be just the beginning of a larger effort by Secretary Kristi Noem and the Department of Homeland Security to shrink FEMA.

After CNN’s story was published Friday, a DHS spokesperson described the non-renewals as “a routine staff adjustment of 50 staff out of 8,000.”

Several readers have expressed concern about some elements of the report posted below.  Your comments are invited for a summary article to be posted in the new year. (Please send them directly to the Diva so we can aggregate them into a single posting.)

From the GAO: Disaster Assistance High-Risk Series: State and Local Response Capabilities (18 pp)

“Preparing for and responding to disasters, like hurricanes and wildfires, begins with state and local governments. But, their ability to do so varies widely. The federal government provides extensive support through grants, training, and other assistance.

In light of recent interest in reviewing the federal role in disaster response, federal and state officials told us what they would want policymakers to consider with any potential changes. This includes clear communication, time to prepare, and FEMA’s federal coordination role.

This is the second report in a series on disaster response. The first was on the federal response workforce.”

From Notus.org: ‘People Will Die’: Suspended FEMA Employees Say Their Agency Isn’t Delivering

Federal emergency management employees who were suspended, reinstated, then suspended again fret over the agency “failing the American public.”