New FEMA chief seeks reforms amid staffing cuts and rising disaster load
Cam Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL and fourth-generation service member, has taken over FEMA and aims to reshape the agency while local responders assume greater responsibility.
Former Navy SEAL Cam Hamilton became FEMA’s permanent administrator on Aug. 10, bringing combat-medic experience and a background overseeing thousands of emergency responders. He faces the challenge of reviving an agency that lost roughly one-in-six employees in the past year and now handles a backlog of over 700 active recovery projects. Hamilton intends to upgrade aging technology, simplify individual assistance, and tighten safeguards against waste, all while keeping FEMA as a strong federal partner to state and local responders.
The agency’s staffing fell from 25,134 in 2025 to fewer than 20,000, a drop of more than 17%, after budget reductions and a freeze on funding. Critics note that disaster declarations are taking longer and that political factors may influence aid distribution. Despite these hurdles, experts say Hamilton’s reform agenda has attracted support across the political spectrum as the United States experiences a surge in billion-dollar natural disasters.
Why it matters
FEMA’s ability to respond to increasingly frequent disasters affects the safety and recovery of communities nationwide.
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