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Cameron Hamilton’s Exit from FEMA: A Story of Internal Clashes and Political Pressure
On May 7, just before heading to Capitol Hill to testify before Congress, acting FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton packed up his desk—fully expecting to be fired. That same morning, officials from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), FEMA’s parent agency, had instructed the security team to revoke his credentials and prepare to escort him from the building.
FEMA officials pushed back, warning that canceling Hamilton’s testimony would send a troubling signal about instability within the agency. Ultimately, he was allowed to testify.
During the hearing, Hamilton contradicted former President Donald Trump by rejecting the idea of dismantling FEMA, an idea Trump had publicly floated. His dismissal the next day was widely seen as punishment for that testimony.
However, sources familiar with the situation told Reuters that Trump loyalists were already eager to remove Hamilton. They believed he wasn’t moving aggressively enough to strip down FEMA’s operations, despite his original appointment as a Trump supporter.