FEMA Staff Bracing for Dismissal of 1,000 Disaster Workers Amid Agency Overhaul

FEMA Workforce Faces Major Cuts: 1,000 Disaster Response Jobs on the Chopping Block

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is on the verge of a significant workforce reduction, with staff reportedly preparing for the elimination of 1,000 positions this month. These anticipatedFEMA staff bracing for dismissal of 1,000 disaster workersare part of a broader, agency-wide restructuring initiative spearheaded by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, according to sources familiar with internal discussions.

This move is already sparking alarm among current employees and disaster preparedness experts who fear the cuts could severely impede the agency’s ability to respond effectively to future emergencies across the United States.

The Critical Role of CORE Employees: Why These Cuts Matter

The positions slated for elimination belong to FEMA’s Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees, known as CORE. These contractual staff members are typically hired for assignments lasting two to four years and are crucial for facilitating disaster recovery and enhancing emergency preparedness in communities nationwide. Historically, CORE workers have constituted nearly 40 percent of FEMA's total workforce, providing essential flexibility and specialized skills during times of crisis.

Multiple FEMA employees, including senior officials and supervisors who requested anonymity due to not being authorized to speak publicly, have confirmed the impending dismissals. A FEMA spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the cuts.

Broader Workforce Reductions and Mounting Concerns

The immediate job cuts are intensifying fears among FEMA personnel that more reductions are planned for the year. A confidential FEMA planning document, reportedly obtained by The New York Times, outlined potential cuts affecting over 11,500 individuals from a workforce of approximately 23,000. While a FEMA spokesperson, Daniel Llargues, characterized the document as a “routine, pre-decisional work force planning exercise” and denied any “percentage-based work force reduction plan,” the existence of such a document has fueled widespread anxiety.

Current FEMA employees have voiced deep concern over Secretary Noem’s direct involvement in these workforce changes. Federal legislation enacted in the wake of Hurricane Katrina in 2005 explicitly prohibits the homeland security secretary from “significantly” diminishing FEMA’s capacity to perform its core mission of disaster preparedness, response, and recovery. However, internal communications reviewed by The Times indicate that by the end of 2025, the renewal of CORE worker employment will require Secretary Noem’s explicit approval, signaling a centralized control over staffing decisions.

Impact on Disaster Response: Experts Weigh In

Despite a relatively quiet 2025 hurricane season, numerous communities continue to grapple with the aftermath of past disasters, such as the Los Angeles fires last January and Hurricane Helene in 2024. Reports suggest federal resources for these ongoing recovery efforts are already experiencing delays or being denied altogether.

Critics of the Trump administration’s approach to disaster management warn that further staffing cuts would jeopardize public safety. Rafael Lemaitre, a former FEMA official and now an advisory council member for Sabotaging Our Safety, emphasized, “You cannot gut the agency responsible for disaster response and expect it to function at its best when the next hurricane, wildfire or flood hits.”

FEMA’s workforce has already seen a significant contraction, shrinking by over 20 percent in the past year, from nearly 29,000 to 23,000 employees. Ernest Abbott, a former FEMA general counsel under President Bill Clinton, highlighted that CORE employees, who made up 39 percent of the workforce in 2022, provide essential flexibility for the agency to adapt to fluctuating disaster needs without the constraints of traditional civil service rules.

“The whole point was to have an agency that had flexibility and could ramp up and down with events,” Abbott stated.

Political Undercurrents: Shifting Responsibilities to States

President Trump and Secretary Noem have publicly advocated for shifting more of the responsibility and financial burden of disaster response and recovery from the federal government to individual states. While there is bipartisan agreement on the need for FEMA reform to better support communities, not all Republicans endorse staffing reductions as a viable solution. A draft spending bill recently released by the Republican-controlled Senate includes provisions specifically designed to prevent FEMA from cutting staff vital to key functions, including the delivery and review of disaster aid.

Dominik Lett, a policy analyst at the conservative Cato Institute, suggested that while job cuts could make FEMA leaner, they might not necessarily reduce states’ reliance on federal assistance or the flow of billions in disaster aid. However, Michael Coen Jr., who served as FEMA chief of staff during the Biden and Obama administrations, cautioned that a diminished workforce could lead to slower aid delivery, with potentially catastrophic deficiencies only becoming apparent when it’s too late. “Maybe it will take a disaster,” Coen remarked, “That might be the tipping point when more people speak up.”