Trump expected to nominate Cameron Hamilton to lead FEMA after his firing last year
President Donald Trump is considering nominating Cameron Hamilton, a former U.S. Navy SEAL whom the administration fired last year as acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, as permanent FEMA administrator, according to a person familiar with the matter.
Hamilton served as FEMA’s temporary leader from January to May of last year, but was fired a day after testifying on Capitol Hill that he disagreed with proposals to dismantle the organization charged with coordinating the federal government’s response to disasters, an idea Trump had floated repeatedly.
“I do not believe it is in the best interest of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” he told members of a House Appropriations subcommittee.
FEMA has not had a permanent administrator throughout Trump’s second term and is currently on its third temporary leader, which critics say undermines the agency’s effectiveness.
Trump offered Hamilton the job on Wednesday, according to the person, who was not authorized to discuss it publicly and spoke on condition of anonymity. The White House did not immediately respond to a request for comment. The New York Times was first to report Trump’s intention to nominate Hamilton.
Hamilton’s appointment would come at a crucial time for FEMA and its future remains uncertain. Trump has said he wants to shift more disaster responsibilities to states and created a FEMA review board, which is expected to propose sweeping reforms to how the agency supports communities affected by disasters.
Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has expressed support for FEMA while calling for reforms, contrasting sharply with her predecessor Kristi Noem, who pledged to “eliminate FEMA as it exists today” and whose relationship with the review board has become difficult.
It’s unclear how Hamilton would lead FEMA or what Trump wants from his leadership.
Hamilton’s relationship with DHS officials became “very hostile” during his short tenure at FEMA, he said in a September episode of the “Disaster Tough” podcast. He wanted to cut “unnecessary spending” and “reduce the size of the agency,” he said, but not dismantle it.
Trump has not officially announced his nomination and could change his mind. Hamilton could also face headwinds in the Senate confirmation process because he has never served as the state’s emergency management director.
Federal law requires the FEMA administrator to have “demonstrated ability and knowledge in emergency management and homeland security” and at least five years of executive leadership and management experience. If confirmed, he will become the principal advisor to the president and the secretary of Homeland Security on all matters related to emergency management.
Hamilton spent a decade in the U.S. Navy Seals, serving on Seal Team Eight for four overseas deployments between 2005 and 2015, according to his LinkedIn profile and a congressional biography.
He then served as an Emergency Management Oversight Specialist at the U.S. Department of State and Director of Emergency Services for the Department of Homeland Security for several years.
Hamilton ran for Congress in Virginia’s 7th District in 2024, but lost in the Republican primary.
In a LinkedIn post earlier this month marking 47 years since FEMA’s founding, Hamilton said he was grateful to have served under Trump and alongside his FEMA colleagues. “I wish my term had been longer,” he wrote, “because there is still much work to be done on reform.”
