Exclusive: DHS begins slashing FEMA disaster response staff as 2026 begins [View all]
Source: CNN Politics
PUBLISHED Jan 1, 2026, 11:17 PM ET
The Trump administration is abruptly cutting dozens of staff who are at the forefront of disaster response and recovery at the Federal Emergency Management Agency this week, according to internal emails obtained by CNN and sources familiar with the plan. On New Year’s Eve, some employees received emails saying their positions “would not be renewed” and “therefore, your services will no longer be needed” after their contracts expire in the first days of January.
The cuts target FEMA’s Cadre of On-Call Response and Recovery (CORE) teams, which form the backbone of the agency’s operations during and after a disaster, and could be just the beginning of a larger effort by Secretary Kristi Noem and the Department of Homeland Security to shrink FEMA, potentially axing thousands of workers in the coming months who deploy during hurricanes, wildfires and other national emergencies.
According to two sources with knowledge of the terminations, which suddenly ousted roughly 50 CORE staff, the decision came from FEMA’s new acting chief Karen Evans — who was elevated to the role by DHS leadership after the embattled previous agency head resigned.
The notices stunned employees, who learned they would be let go within days. “Beyond cruel to be treated in such a way,” one of the workers said.
Read more: https://www.cnn.com/2026/01/01/politics/dhs-cutting-fema-disaster-response-staff
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