Topline
President Donald Trump nominated Cameron Hamilton to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency—reversing course after previously firing him as acting administrator of the agency last year when he clashed with Trump and former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem over whether the agency should exist at all.
Key Facts
Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL, was first ousted as acting administrator for FEMA in May 2025.
He was fired one day after appearing before a House subcommittee, where he said “I do not believe it is in the best interest of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency”—while Trump had repeatedly suggested he would dismantle the agency altogether.
Hamilton’s name was found on a list of new nominations forwarded to the Senate, which also included former Arizona Senate and gubernatorial candidate and Trump ally Kari Lake for ambassador to Jamaica.
Key Background
Hamilton was a former GOP congressional candidate in Virginia, and grew a following online for his criticisms of the Biden administration’s response to Hurricane Helene. Hamilton was fired a day after his testimony before the House Appropriations Subcommittee, but Reuters later reported Trump administration officials had wanted him gone well before the remarks due to not cutting the agency. Trump has repeatedly criticized FEMA, and suggested disaster relief should be handled by the states. Since Hamilton’s tenure at the helm of FEMA, the Department of Homeland Security has seen significant personnel shakeups—Noem was ousted in March, and the acting director of Immigration and Customs Enforcement Todd Lyons announced he would leave the controversial agency at the end of the month.
Big Number
3. That’s how many acting administrators FEMA has had since Trump took office last January. These include Hamilton and David Richardson, who left only six months after taking over. During his tenure, Richardson faced criticism for being unreachable during the deadly floods that struck Texas last summer, killing scores of people including some campers at an all-girls Christian summer camp. The current acting administrator is Karen Evans, who took over last December.
