Cameron Hamilton, the acting director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was abruptly fired Thursday by the Trump administration.
Hamilton was summoned to the Department of Homeland Security on Thursday morning and was terminated, just one day after he testified to Congress that he did not believe FEMA should be disbanded, according to an ABC News report.
The move placed him “at odds with President Donald Trump’s suggestions that FEMA be downsized or dissolved,” according to the report.
🚨 FIRED: Trump FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton escorted out of the HQ after telling lawmakers he opposes dismantling FEMA – CNN/DHS spokesperson pic.twitter.com/hqkZnW3gGo
— Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) May 8, 2025
“Neither FEMA nor DHS, which oversees the agency, gave a reason for Hamilton being fired,” Politico reported.
Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL, had talked about resigning in recent months “until FEMA staffers convinced him to stay,” the outlet reported, citing “a person who was granted anonymity to discuss personnel issues.”
That threat to quit may have been prompted by an incident in which he was required to take a lie detector test to determine whether he had leaked details about a meeting he’d had with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski, the report said.
Politico added that Hamilton had more recently “appeared to be growing into his job, speaking at conferences and building rapport with lawmakers. In public appearances, Hamilton could come across as friendly and occasionally funny.”
Should FEMA be downsized?
The administration apparently did not look kindly on his statements Wednesday to the House Appropriations subcommittee, where he said, “I do not believe it is in the best interests of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency.”
The New York Times reported Hamilton had expressed a hope for FEMA to “return to its roots” as a key agency helping state and local governments after disasters.
“Communities look to FEMA in their greatest times of need, and it’s imperative that we remain ready to respond to those challenges,” he told the lawmakers.
FEMA came under fire during former President Joe Biden’s administration for allegedly harmful partisan actions — or inactions — after major disasters, particularly in red states hit by hurricanes around the time of the 2024 presidential campaign.
The Daily Wire published reports in November alleging that at least one FEMA official had directed disaster workers in Florida to skip houses with Trump signs as they were canvassing neighborhoods to identify residents who could qualify for federal aid in the aftermath of Hurricane Milton in October 2024.
Many residents of North Carolina also complained that FEMA was nowhere to be found for months after thousands of residents were displaced by Hurricane Helene in September of 2024.
It was after meeting with residents of North Carolina following his inauguration in January and hearing their criticism of FEMA that Trump announced, “I think we’re going to recommend that FEMA go away,” the New York Times reported.
Some conservatives, like commentator and broadcaster Alex Jones, applauded Hamilton’s exit, saying in a post on X that the “Trump Purge Of The Deep State Continues.”
However, others, including many North Carolinians, reacted negatively to Hamilton’s firing, saying that Hamilton had taken great strides to redeem FEMA’s reputation since he was sworn in.
WARNING: The following post contains vulgar language that some may find offensive.
I am incredibly disappointed by the Trump administration’s decision to fire Cameron Hamilton as head of FEMA.
There is NO ONE in America that has been more critical of FEMA in the past 8 months than me.
No one.
I’ve RIPPED the agency’s response to us after Hurricane Helene in… pic.twitter.com/E52wjX4dqZ
— Matt Van Swol (@matt_vanswol) May 9, 2025
“I am incredibly disappointed by the Trump administration’s decision to fire Cameron Hamilton as head of FEMA,” Matt Van Swol, a social media influencer who did much to publicize North Carolina’s plight after Hurricane Helene, said on X.
“There is NO ONE in America that has been more critical of FEMA in the past 8 months than me,” he continued. “But firing Cameron Hamilton is not the answer.”
Van Swol said Hamilton spent hours in Zoom calls “to learn from FEMA’s most fierce critics how the agency had gone wrong, what it had done to deserve such harsh blowback from residents in the mountains of North Carolina.
“But he didn’t JUST listen, he APOLOGIZED for the way FEMA had failed these individuals,” he wrote. “He got their FEMA case numbers, and he did the HARD WORK of rectifying their situations.”
Another resident of the Tar Heel State, Erin Derham, wrote that western North Carolina “wants Cameron Hamilton to lead FEMA.”
WNC wants Cameron Hamilton to lead FEMA.
Many of our state representatives proved that they were not above putting politics ahead of people. The Former FEMA director proved a similar incompetence.
Victims of natural disasters need someone like Cameron Hamilton to advocate for… pic.twitter.com/0994gO2AfW
— Erin Derham (@HistoryBoutique) May 9, 2025
“Who is responsible for this?” she asked, tagging Trump, Noem, and Vice President J.D. Vance, also asking “can this be reversed?
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