Trump Nominates Cameron Hamilton to Lead FEMA

The White House has nominated former Navy SEAL Cameron Hamilton to serve as administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The nomination comes ahead of the Atlantic hurricane season, according to Bloomberg. Hamilton previously served as acting head of FEMA in spring 2025.

If confirmed by the Senate, Hamilton would lead the agency as it prepares for peak months of tropical storms and other natural disasters. The agency has operated without a Senate-confirmed administrator since the start of the current administration.

On the same day the nomination was announced, the current acting head of FEMA was replaced by an official who served on a Trump-appointed disaster review council. That official will manage the agency temporarily while Hamilton goes through the confirmation process.

Last week the review council issued recommendations that called for overhauling the agency by making it harder for states to qualify for federal aid, consolidating individual assistance programs, and shifting primary responsibility to state and local authorities after disasters.

Several of those proposed changes would require congressional approval. The council’s report signaled a continued push to reform FEMA.

Hamilton previously worked on emergency planning for terrorism events at the State Department and Department of Homeland Security. He has said the agency needs major reforms, including moving faster, shedding responsibilities outside its core mission, and reducing state dependency on federal aid. The nomination marks a shift from earlier administration signals about eliminating the agency.

” He later described the relationship with department officials as hostile and criticized policies that he said created new bureaucracy, lengthened wait times for survivors, and delayed deployment of resources. In one instance after deadly floods in central Texas, tens of thousands of calls from survivors went unanswered after call center contracts expired.

Hamilton has stated he believes FEMA must rebuild trust while implementing reforms to better serve disaster survivors. Federal law requires the FEMA administrator to demonstrate knowledge of emergency management and homeland security along with executive leadership experience.

The agency has gone through multiple temporary leaders in the past year. The review council’s recommendations added urgency to the leadership transition.