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.”

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.”

From E&ENews: Judge faults Trump admin for scrapping FEMA program.  The decision is a win for Democratic-led states that sued to save the program, which helps states gird for natural disasters.

” The Trump administration unlawfully revoked a grant program that helped states protect against potential damage from natural disasters, a federal judge ruled Thursday.

The decision by Judge Richard Stearns of the U.S. District Court in Massachusetts is a victory for more than 20 Democratic-led states that filed suit in July to salvage the nation’s largest disaster preparedness program.

The lawsuit accused the administration of illegally ending the multibillion-dollar Federal Emergency Management Agency program, which was established by Congress in 2018 and signed into law by President Donald Trump in his first term.”

From the WashPost: White House officials just canceled a meeting set to help chart FEMA’s future. Officials postponed a meeting where a panel was slated to outline how to reform the agency, according to individuals familiar with the matter.

“White House officials postponed a meeting Thursday where a panel appointed by President Donald Trump was slated to outline how to reform the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to three people with knowledge of the situation

There were concerns that the report the review council was supposed to offer Thursday didn’t offer concrete, specific, procedural changes on how to actually reform the agency, according to a person familiar with the report, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak on the matter.”

From the WashPost: Election denier tapped for FEMA leadership role. Gregg Phillips, who claimed that millions of “noncitizens” voted illegally in the 2016 election, will head FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery.

“Gregg Phillips, who served as a top human services official in Texas and Mississippi, also has no official, prominent experience managing emergencies, but has been on the ground for disasters for decades working with nonprofits and religious organizations, according to a review of his LinkedIn profile and an official with knowledge of the situation who was not authorized to speak publicly on the matter.”