FEMA Resumes Controversial Staff Reductions Following Winter Storm Pause
According to two agency managers speaking on condition of anonymity, the Federal Emergency Management Agency will resume staff cuts that were briefly paused during January's severe winter storm. This decision has stoked significant concern across the agency about its ability to effectively address disasters with a reduced workforce.
Contract Terminations Resume After Temporary Halt
FEMA abruptly stopped renewing employment contracts at the start of January for a group of staffers known as the Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery, or CORE employees. These term-limited hires can hold senior roles and play crucial parts in emergency response operations. However, in late January, as the nation braced for a gigantic winter storm predicted to impact half the country's population, FEMA paused these cuts. The agency did not explicitly state whether this decision was directly linked to the approaching storm.
The two FEMA team managers, who were not authorized to discuss staffing changes with media, were informed this week that dismissals would resume soon, though no specific date was provided. It remains unclear exactly how many employees will be impacted by these renewed reductions.
Widespread Impact on Agency Operations
FEMA staff have told The Associated Press that the policy indiscriminately terminates employees without considering the importance of their roles or their years of accumulated experience. The hundreds of CORE dismissals have reportedly wiped out entire teams or left groups without essential managerial oversight.
"It's a big impact to our ability to implement and carry out the programs entrusted to us to carry out," one FEMA manager explained to The Associated Press, highlighting the operational consequences of these workforce reductions.
Officials noted that it remains unclear who at the Department of Homeland Security or FEMA is driving this decision. Previously, managers could make cases to extend contracts months in advance, but now leaders are often discovering terminations simultaneously with their affected employees.
The Critical Role of CORE Employees
There are over 10,000 CORE workers, constituting nearly half of FEMA's total workforce. Although employed on two- and four-year contracts, these terms are "routinely renewed," according to one manager, who described CORE as the "primary backbone" for FEMA's response and recovery work. Many CORE employees serve as supervisors, and it's not uncommon for them to have worked at the agency for many years, if not decades.
CORE employees are paid from FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund and are not subject to the lengthy hiring processes required for permanent full-time federal employees. This allows the agency to be more nimble in its hiring practices and onboard employees more quickly as emergency needs arise. Notably, with DHS funded only temporarily due to congressional battles over immigration tactics, CORE employees can continue working and receiving payment during government shutdowns, provided the disaster fund retains sufficient money.
Broader Context and Growing Concerns
The administration's efforts to reduce FEMA's workforce coincide with promises of reforms aimed at reducing waste and shifting emergency management responsibilities to states. This also occurs as DHS faces increasing criticism regarding its management of FEMA, including delays in distributing disaster funding to states and ongoing workforce reductions.
According to the Government Accountability Office, FEMA lost nearly 10% of its workforce between January and June 2025. Concern has grown in recent months among FEMA staff and disaster experts that even larger cuts may be forthcoming. A draft report from the Trump-appointed FEMA Review Council reportedly included a recommendation to cut the agency's workforce in half, according to a person familiar with the matter who spoke anonymously due to lack of authorization to discuss the report with media. The council's final report, originally due last November, has not yet been published.
Political and Legal Responses
"Based on past disasters, we know that slashing FEMA's workforce will put Americans at risk, plain and simple," stated Representative Bennie Thompson of Mississippi, ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, after introducing a resolution on Wednesday condemning FEMA staff cuts.
Last week, a coalition of unions and nonprofits led by the American Federation of Government Employees filed a legal complaint against the Trump Administration over the FEMA reductions, adding legal pressure to the political opposition.
Immediate Effects Already Being Felt
A CORE employee at FEMA headquarters, who requested anonymity for fear of losing their job, revealed that even though FEMA managed to support states during Winter Storm Fern, a year of staff losses is already having tangible effects. There are fewer people available for backup duties, they explained, and staff are experiencing burnout from ongoing uncertainty about their employment status and the agency's future capacity.
The Department of Homeland Security and FEMA did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding these renewed staff reductions and their potential impact on disaster response capabilities.
