Key Takeaways
- The Trump administration is cutting dozens of disaster response and recovery staff at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
- The cuts target FEMA’s Cadre of On-Call Response and Recovery (CORE) teams, which form the backbone of the agency’s operations during and after a disaster
- The decision to cut CORE staff was made by FEMA’s new acting chief Karen Evans, who was elevated to the role by DHS leadership
- The cuts could be just the beginning of a larger effort by Secretary Kristi Noem and the Department of Homeland Security to shrink FEMA
- The move has been met with criticism from officials, who warn that states are not equipped to handle major disasters on their own
Introduction to the Cuts
The Trump administration is abruptly cutting dozens of disaster response and recovery staff at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) this week, according to internal emails obtained by CNN and sources familiar with the plan. On New Year’s Eve, some employees received emails saying their positions "would not be renewed" and "therefore, your services will no longer be needed" after their contracts expire in the first days of January. This move has stunned employees, who learned they would be let go within days, with one worker describing the treatment as "beyond cruel."
The Role of CORE Staff
FEMA’s CORE employees are among the first federal boots on the ground during a disaster, working shoulder-to-shoulder with local officials, helping survivors, and managing the crucial aid and grants that fuel recovery and rebuilding. According to a former senior FEMA official, "FEMA can’t do disaster response and recovery without CORE employees." The regional offices are almost entirely staffed by CORE employees, so the first FEMA people who are usually onsite won’t be there, leaving states to handle disasters on their own. The impact of these cuts will be significant, with states likely to struggle with the added responsibility of supporting survivors and navigating access to federal resources.
The Decision-Making Process
The decision to cut CORE staff was made by FEMA’s new acting chief Karen Evans, who was elevated to the role by DHS leadership. The notices stunned employees, who learned they would be let go within days. A DHS spokesperson described the non-renewals as "a routine staff adjustment of 50 staff out of 8,000," but multiple sources told CNN that the department has recently discussed deeper cuts to CORE, and several officials said the department’s actions here — to oust all workers whose contracts expire in a specific timeframe — is not routine.
The Broader Context
The cuts to CORE staff are part of a broader Trump administration effort to overhaul FEMA, shrink its footprint, and shift more responsibility for disaster response to the states. A task force appointed by the administration – known as the FEMA Review Council – is expected to soon release sweeping recommendations, including a proposal to cut the agency’s workforce in half. However, after CNN exclusively obtained a draft of the recommendations this month, the White House abruptly postponed the task force’s final meeting, leaving FEMA’s future in limbo.
The Impact on States
Inside FEMA and across the country, officials are sounding the alarm about the administration’s plan, warning that most states simply aren’t equipped to handle major disasters on their own. Billions in federal funding for communities nationwide remain stuck in FEMA’s backlog, largely because of bureaucratic hurdles imposed by Trump’s DHS. With the future of federal funding up in the air, some states are already tightening their own budgets and laying off local emergency management staff whose departments rely on money from FEMA to brace for the impact.
The Future of FEMA
The FEMA Review Council is expected to recommend moving some agency staff out of Washington, DC, and into other parts of the country — a move that could help fill some gaps if the CORE workforce is slashed. Still, it likely means fewer federal boots on the ground when disaster strikes, leaving states with more responsibility for supporting survivors and navigating access to the federal resources that are still available — a bureaucratic process the Trump administration has vowed to improve. As the situation unfolds, it remains to be seen how the administration’s plan will affect FEMA’s ability to respond to disasters and support affected communities.