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.”