Cameron Hamilton is poised to return to the top of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, nearly a year after being forced out for publicly defending the organization Trump wanted to dismantle. An administration official confirmed that Hamilton visited the White House on Wednesday with Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin to discuss the FEMA role, though the Department of Homeland Security declined to formally announce any personnel decisions.
Hamilton's removal last May came swiftly after he testified before Congress that FEMA should not be eliminated. The move created a public contradiction with Trump, who had made dismantling the agency a priority. While DHS initially attributed the firing to routine personnel matters, White House Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt suggested otherwise at a briefing, saying the administration needed people "advancing the administration's goals" rather than speaking against them.
The former Navy SEAL and combat medic served as acting FEMA administrator for five months during Trump's second term before his ouster. In his congressional testimony, Hamilton had articulated a middle-ground position: FEMA should exist, but needed substantial reform. He criticized the agency for becoming an "overextended federal bureaucracy" that enabled states to treat it as a financial cushion for routine problems rather than a true last resort.
Hamilton previously told reporters that Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski, who worked under then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, had pushed him out of the position. His nomination comes as DHS remains shut down since mid-February and follows Mullin's recent confirmation as the new homeland security secretary.
If the Senate confirms him, Hamilton would become the first permanent FEMA administrator of Trump's second term. The agency has operated under acting leadership for the past 15 months. His return also reflects a subtle shift in the White House position on FEMA itself. While Trump initially pushed to phase out the agency after hurricane season, he reversed course during the summer, telling Noem he wanted FEMA "remade" rather than closed.
Hamilton's background includes four deployments to Afghanistan as a SEAL and crisis response work at the State Department's Bureau of Counterterrorism. Before his stint leading FEMA, he managed DHS' emergency first responders division. His recent posts on social media have signaled alignment with Mullin, praising the new secretary's handling of North Carolina's recovery from Hurricane Helene.
Mullin has already begun reshaping the agency, reversing a contested rule from his predecessor that required personal secretary approval for any DHS spending exceeding $100,000. The shift suggests a different approach from Noem's tenure, one that may align with Hamilton's own stated vision for a reformed but functional FEMA.
Author Sarah Mitchell: "Hamilton's return would test whether he can actually reform FEMA on Trump's terms without crossing the line that got him fired the first time."
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