Senate confirms Cameron Hamilton as FEMA chief amid disaster reform push

The Senate on Friday confirmed Cameron Hamilton as the next administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, returning the former Navy SEAL to a leadership role he briefly held last year before being dismissed for publicly opposing the agency's abolition.

Hamilton was part of a batch of 74 nominations approved by the Senate, which also included David Cummins as head of the Transportation Security Administration and Daniel Perez as ambassador to Brazil.

Upon taking office, Hamilton will assume control of an agency whose future has been in question since President Donald Trump threatened to dismantle it early in his second term. His nomination signals a possible shift away from that idea, though the administration continues to push for significant changes in how the federal government handles disasters.

Hamilton will be tasked with guiding that overhaul while stabilizing an agency of more than 20,000 employees still recovering from the tenure of former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, which saw mass staff departures, disrupted grant programs, and delayed disaster aid.

In his June confirmation hearing, Hamilton pledged to advocate for FEMA and its workforce while ensuring the agency is "objective, fair and reasonable" in processing disaster claims. He also argued that FEMA is weighed down by bureaucracy and cannot respond to every disaster, calling for a new balance to encourage cost savings.

Hamilton had limited emergency management experience before being named FEMA's temporary leader in January 2025. He was fired in May 2025 after telling a House panel that eliminating the agency would not be in the best interest of the American people.

His stance earned admiration among emergency management professionals. Pete Gaynor, who led FEMA during Trump's first term, said Hamilton's actions showed "exactly who he is and how he will lead when the pressure is highest."

Still, some FEMA staffers remain wary of Hamilton's role in controversial decisions last year, including the cancellation of a multibillion-dollar resilience grant program.

Hamilton takes over during a busy summer disaster season, with more than 1,000 open disaster declarations and ongoing wildfires and flooding. He will be the first permanent FEMA administrator of Trump's second term.

The agency has lost significant institutional knowledge, with more than 4,300 employees separating in the 2025 budget year, according to a Government Accountability Office report.

Since replacing Noem in March, Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin has rehired for some eliminated positions and rescinded a rule requiring secretary-level approval for expenses above $100,000, which had backlogged billions in disaster aid.

However, new controversies have emerged. Twenty-five states and the District of Columbia sued the administration last month over new election security requirements attached to FEMA counterterrorism grants.

At a governors' meeting last weekend, Mullin called FEMA "bloated" and said reforms would shift more responsibility to states, with FEMA reserved for "the worst of the worst, not every storm."

A Trump-appointed FEMA Review Council recommended major changes in May that could speed assistance but reduce how much and how often FEMA helps. Many changes would require congressional action.

Among other confirmations, Cummins takes over the TSA amid challenges including the aftermath of this year's record partial government shutdown, which left employees working without pay and prompted about 1,100 to quit. Cummins, a former senior vice president at contractor Serco, will lead the agency as the administration seeks to expand private airport screening and cut thousands of TSA jobs.

Perez, a close friend of Secretary of State Marco Rubio and former speaker of Florida's House, will serve as ambassador to Brazil. His appointment has been central to a diplomatic dispute, with the State Department citing Brazil's refusal to accept him as a reason for revoking the visa of Brazil's ambassador to the U.S.