Democrats decry reports that Trump will further slash FEMA's workforce

The Federal Emergency Management Agency should not take any steps to further slash its workforce, the top House Democrat with oversight over the agency said, following reports that the Trump administration is looking to institute reductions. 

Rep. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., the ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, called any plans to significantly cut FEMA’s staffing levels "irresponsible" and leave the agency incapable of handling upcoming hurricane seasons. His comments followed reporting from several outlets that FEMA has put together plans to eliminate more than 40% of its Cadre of On-Call Response and Recovery (CORE) staff, who make up the bulk of FEMA’s workforce. 

FEMA terminated dozens of CORE staff late last year, though the agency has said that was a routine part of the agency’s operations. CORE employees, who quickly deploy after disaster strikes, are hired on two-to-four year terms that can be extended based on the availability of work. 

The plans, which were preliminary and not directing any specific action, were first reported by The Washington Post. President Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem have repeatedly voiced frustration with FEMA and floated the idea of eliminating it entirely, arguing states should handle their own disaster recovery efforts. For now, Trump has appointed a panel to review the agency’s mission and recommend changes to its structure. 

The panel has yet to release its findings and last month canceled a meeting at which it was scheduled to vote on its final report. Noem has taken an unusually direct role in determining which CORE employees can have their contracts renewed, The Post found. 

Thompson noted FEMA has already lost 2,000 of its full-time, permanent workforce due to “mismanagement and disastrous policies” and said further would undermine the agency. 

“Even considering cuts of this scale is more evidence of the Trump administration’s reckless and dangerous behavior and sends a clear message that the administration is willing to gamble with Americans’ lives and violate federal law that Congress passed to ensure readiness for disasters,” Thompson said.

Trump has yet to nominate a permanent administrator for FEMA, which is currently operating under its third acting head since the president took office. As of June, half of the agency’s Senior Executive Service roles were vacant. The Government Accountability Office recently found FEMA began the 2025 hurricane season with only 12% of its incident management workforce available, a five-year low. Agency officials said they have to scramble to reassign employees when a disaster strikes, taking staff away from ongoing recovery efforts elsewhere. 

Former FEMA officials have warned that the staffing cuts, particularly in the leadership ranks, would lead to lost capacity and institutional knowledge. 

FEMA for years struggled with ​​insufficient staffing, which was exacerbated by the ever-growing demands of a more intense and frequent disaster season. That continued into the Biden administration as the COVID-19 response and a lack of downtime between deployments led to burnout within the workforce. Toward the end of his presidency, however, FEMA reported making headway in its recruiting efforts—in part due to a legislative reform that made it easier for part-time responders to come and go from the agency—and officials stressed they had the personnel necessary for multiple concurrent crises.

Thompson said FEMA’s workforce should not consider that built up workforce expendable. 

“These are the professionals responsible for disaster response, recovery, and preparedness to support Americans when they are at their most vulnerable,” he said. “The Trump administration’s continued efforts to weaken FEMA through drastic staffing reductions undermines public safety and the resilience of the entire country.”

FEMA has stressed the leaked plans do not amount to a mandate to institute cuts and was merely a tool to weigh its options.