Analysis reveals partisan disparities in Trump disaster declaration approvals
Analysis reveals partisan disparities in disaster approvals while FEMA faced workforce decline.
Event / Politics
Cameron Hamilton FEMA Nomination
Former Navy SEAL and temporary FEMA leader Cameron Hamilton faces Senate confirmation hearing for permanent FEMA director position, pledging to accelerate disaster aid while facing scrutiny over partisan approval disparities.
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2026-08-16 to 2026-11-13 · UTC publication dates
Coverage begins 18 Jun, 01:34 UTC
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What happened
Hamilton defended FEMA's existence in May 2025 before being fired
In May 2025, Hamilton testified at a House hearing that he did not believe it was in the best interest of the American people to eliminate FEMA. He was fired the following day after defending the agency's existence.
Hamilton disavows FEMA recommendation to quadruple disaster assistance threshold
Hamilton distanced himself from an April 2025 memo he had included that recommended quadrupling the threshold of financial damages a state needed to prove to receive FEMA public assistance. He also emphasized the importance of resilience funding.
Analysis shows partisan disparity in Trump disaster declaration approvals
According to an Urban Institute analysis of FEMA data through May 2026, President Trump approved approximately 82% of disaster declaration requests from states that voted for him in the 2024 election, while approving only 44% of requests from states that voted for Kamala Harris. Multiple Democratic senators raised concerns about this disparity at the hearing.
Cameron Hamilton nominated as FEMA administrator by President Trump
President Donald Trump nominated Cameron Hamilton to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency. Hamilton is a former Navy SEAL who has held positions at the Department of Homeland Security and State Department related to emergency response. He previously served as FEMA's temporary leader in early 2025.
FEMA experienced mass staff departures and workforce decline under previous leadership
FEMA's workforce has been significantly reduced through mass staff departures and policies that hamstrung agency operations during Kristi Noem's tenure at the Department of Homeland Security. Hamilton noted the agency recently opened 350 positions to counteract some of these cuts.
Hamilton pledges fair and objective disaster aid assessment to Senate committee
At a Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee hearing, Cameron Hamilton pledged to assess disaster aid requests in a fair, reasonable, and objective manner consistent with the law. He committed to speeding up disaster declaration decisions and reimbursements to states, tribes, and territories.
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2 alternative perspectives
Hamilton pledges objectivity on disaster aid in FEMA confirmation hearing
Trump's FEMA nominee Hamilton pledges objectivity on disaster aid, rejects agency's quadruple-threshold recommendation.