Internal Department of Homeland Security emails obtained by The Washington Post show that Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem is advancing plans that could slash the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) disaster response workforce by roughly half over the course of 2026.
The leaked documents detail proposed reductions to FEMA's Cadre of On-Call Response and Recovery (CORE) staff and "surge" personnel, who are among the first responders deployed after hurricanes, wildfires, and other disasters. One internal table in the emails shows a proposed 41 percent cut in CORE roles, and an 85 percent reduction in surge staffing, representing nearly 6,500 jobs.
A preliminary round of layoffs reportedly took place on New Year's Eve, when approximately 65 CORE positions were eliminated. FEMA's CORE workforce quickly assesses damage, coordinates with local officials, and provides life-saving services in the aftermath of crises. Surge personnel fill roles in logistics, housing, debris removal, and other critical functions.
Those figures, which amount to roughly half of FEMA's disaster workforce, have not been formally authorized by the White House or Congress, according to a FEMA spokesperson. DHS and FEMA maintain that the spreadsheets and planning exercises in the leaked emails are a "pre-decisional workforce planning exercise conducted in line with OMB and OPM guidance." FEMA said there is "no directive to reduce the agency's workforce by 50 percent."
"Any numerical assumptions reflected in draft materials were not approved, were not adopted, and do not represent FEMA policy or leadership direction," a spokesperson told The Independent.
Still, multiple current and former FEMA officials familiar with the planning process told reporters that the numbers align with goals championed by Noem, who took office alongside President Donald Trump's second administration in 2025 and has signaled a desire to shrink or restructure FEMA's role in federal disaster management.
In April, Noem told CNN that she supports President Donald Trump's plan to "get rid of FEMA" and vowed "to get rid of FEMA the way it exists today." In September, she said in a Cabinet meeting that she would be moving to "eliminate" FEMA.
Since Trump took office in January, FEMA has dismissed or not renewed contracts for hundreds of employees and scaled back key preparedness programs, including training for emergency managers and resilience-building grants that support state and local hazard mitigation efforts.
The second Trump administration has seen three acting FEMA administrators. The first was business executive Cameron Hamilton, who was fired the day after telling a U.S. House Appropriations subcommittee that "I do not believe it is in the best interest of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency," in May. The second was David Richardson, a retired lieutenant colonel and artillery officer, who resigned after disappearing from public view during the flooding in Central Texas in July.
The third and current acting FEMA administrator, Karen Evans, took over for Richardson in December.
