A former Trump administration official who ran the federal disaster agency earlier this year before being fired accused FEMA of “delaying” disaster response and potentially “lying” to the American people.
Cameron Hamilton, who led the Federal Emergency Management Agency from late January to early May, contradicted administration statements about making FEMA more efficient, saying in social media posts Tuesday that “new forms of bureaucracy” are “delaying the deployment” of emergency help during disasters.
Hamilton’s criticism on LinkedIn and on X stunned some disaster experts and marked his first public comment about FEMA since he was fired after voicing strong support for the agency.
Hamilton posted his four-sentence statement the day after 181 current and former FEMA employees issued a letter accusing Trump administration officials — including Hamilton — of weakening the agency. Three dozen FEMA employees who signed the letter were put on paid leave, the letter writers said Wednesday.
Hamilton’s post appears to address FEMA’s response, which said that the agency previously had been “bogged down by red tape, inefficiency, and outdated processes that failed to get disaster dollars into survivors’ hands.”
Hamilton said, “Stating that @fema is operating more efficiently, and cutting red tape is either: uninformed about managing disasters; misled by public officials; or lying to the American the public to prop up talking points.”
“FEMA is saving money which is good due to the astronomical U.S. Debt from Congress,” Hamilton added. “Despite this, FEMA staff are responding to entirely new forms of bureaucracy now that is lengthening wait times for claim recipients, and delaying the deployment of time sensitive resources.”
He also wrote: “President Trump and the American people deserve better than this.”
Responding to a request for comment from POLITICO’s E&E News, the Department of Homeland Security said: “In recent months, billions of dollars have been disbursed to Americans in need of assistance, and hundreds of lives have been saved due to the swift actions of a revamped, and refocused FEMA.” The Department of Homeland Security oversees FEMA.
President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem have said repeatedly that they are transforming a “bloated” agency into a “lean” one.
But Noem’s leadership has faced criticism from some inside the agency, including complaints that a DHS policy requiring her approval for contracts exceeding $100,000 has hampered FEMA’s ability to respond quickly to disasters. POLITICO reported Tuesday that her senior adviser Corey Lewandowski also holds veto power over six-figure contracts at the department, contributing to the bottleneck on spending. A DHS official later rejected the idea that Lewandowski has final say over contract approval.
Hamilton, who did not immediately respond to a request for comment, had assailed FEMA and spread misinformation about it before Trump named him the agency’s acting administrator days after taking office. A strong Trump supporter, Hamilton quickly initiated a review of disaster programs that may help undocumented immigrants and took the first steps toward dismantling a popular multibillion-dollar grant program to help communities protect against disasters.
“For him to now be defending the agency and pushing back some of the efforts of this administration to micromanage FEMA, it’s quite a change,” said Michael Coen, who was FEMA’s chief of staff during the Biden administration. “He actually implemented some of the erosion that happened. Maybe this is his way to try to help the agency, just like the employees did this week with their declaration.”
“If he’s going to defend the agency, I think he could make a difference,” said Coen, who “liked” Hamilton’s post on LinkedIn.
Heather Stem, a former FEMA employee in Pennsylvania who left the agency in April, wrote underneath Hamilton’s post: “All I can ask is that you continue to stand-up for FEMA. You stood in front of many of us in region and on disasters telling us our work matters.”
Since his firing, Hamilton has continued to support the Trump administration on his personal X account.
Andrew Rumbach, who leads the Urban Institute’s climate and communities program, said it was “unusual to see a former Trump political appointee be critical of the administration.”
“I think he is doing what he can to raise concern in the White House and Congress, and to lend support to the professionals at FEMA,” Rumbach said in an email.
Hamilton started working this month as a managing director at Longview International Technology Solutions, according to his LinkedIn profile. The Virginia-based consulting firm provides services including disaster response and is “a strong advocate for veterans,” according to its website.
As FEMA’s leader, Hamilton appeared to soften his criticism of the agency and embrace its mission and employees. He visited disaster sites and regional FEMA offices — common functions for the agency director — and posted photos and videos on his FEMA account on X. Members of Congress who support FEMA began praising him.
The day before he was fired, Hamilton testified before a House Appropriations subcommittee and appeared to contradict a recent statement by his boss, Noem, that “we are eliminating FEMA.”
“I do not believe it is in the best interests of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” Hamilton told lawmakers.