AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENTCameron Hamilton, who briefly led the agency on an acting basis last year but was fired for contradicting the president, also said he would get money out to states faster.Listen · 5:51 min Cameron Hamilton, President Trump’s FEMA nominee, testifying before the Senate Homeland Security Committee on Wednesday.Credit...Mariam Zuhaib/Associated PressJune 17, 2026, 1:10 p.m.

ETPresident Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Cameron Hamilton, acknowledged Wednesday that sharp staff cuts may challenge the nation’s readiness for disasters, but said the agency was moving to fill critical vacancies and that he had “full faith” in its employees.“Certainly FEMA operates in a unique environment where there are challenges and setbacks that impact our ability to respond,” Mr.

Hamilton told a confirmation hearing in response to questions from Senator Richard Blumenthal, Democrat of Connecticut, about the staff cuts. “What I can tell you is I have full faith and confidence in the FEMA work force. I believe they are an exceptional group of public servants.”Staffing cuts have reduced FEMA’s work force by about 20 percent over the past year and a half.Nominated last month to take over the disaster agency, Mr.

Hamilton served briefly as acting FEMA administrator at the start of Mr. Trump’s second term. But Kristi Noem, then the Homeland Security secretary, fired him a day after contradicting the president’s assertion that the agency should perhaps be abolished. Ms. Noem has since been replaced by Markwayne Mullin, and the Trump administration now appears to be retreating from plans to eliminate FEMA.A former Navy SEAL, Mr.

Hamilton previously oversaw emergency medical technicians on the southern border for the Homeland Security Department and worked as an emergency management specialist in the State Department. He ran unsuccessfully for Congress from Virginia in 2024.He faced no questions about his background Wednesday, despite criticism from some disaster survivor groups that he lacks the extensive résumé that federal law requires of FEMA’s leader.

A 2006 statute requires FEMA administrators to have at least five years’ experience leading disaster response and managing large staffs and budgets.Mr. Hamilton pledged Wednesday to speed the flow of disaster aid while keeping a closer eye on how states and cities spend it.

He said he planned to overhaul information technology systems to improve financial oversight and that he believed state and local governments have incentives to spend more federal disaster money than necessary, including on projects that aren’t directly related to catastrophes.Scott Dance is a Times reporter who covers how climate change and extreme weather are transforming society.AdvertisementSKIP ADVERTISEMENT