Illegal FEMA Staffing Cuts
Federal Judge Rules Trump Administration Illegally Ordered Major FEMA Staffing Cuts
Anonymous
Key Points
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The court found that DHS improperly treated renewals of FEMA’s long-standing Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery (CORE) contracts as “new hires” subject to the presidential hiring freeze, even though DHS itself was exempt from that freeze. CORE employees are deployed nationwide after disasters and often remain in affected communities for years.
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The staffing plan would have reduced FEMA’s workforce from roughly 23,000 employees to about 11,500 by the end of fiscal year 2026. FEMA supervisors and the agency’s human-capital chief had instead recommended maintaining current staffing levels or increasing them.
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The ruling said evidence indicated that DHS officials Joseph Guy, Kara Voorhies and Karen Evans played central roles in directing the staffing reductions; the court also found that the officials used auto-delete features on the Signal messaging app while discussing the cuts.
A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration acted unlawfully when the Department of Homeland Security ordered FEMA to cut its workforce roughly in half. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston found that DHS violated a post-Hurricane Katrina law protecting FEMA's disaster-response capacity and failed to show reasoned decision-making behind the cuts.
The staffing plan would have slashed FEMA from roughly 23,000 employees to about 11,500 by the end of fiscal year 2026. FEMA supervisors and the agency's human-capital chief had recommended keeping or increasing staffing instead, but DHS officials overruled them and imposed the cuts anyway.
DHS Treated Disaster Reservists as New Hires
DHS improperly classified renewals of FEMA's long-standing Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery (CORE) contracts as new hires subject to the presidential hiring freeze. According to the ruling, this was especially improper since DHS itself was exempt from the freeze. CORE employees deploy nationwide after disasters and often work in affected communities for years.
Evidence Shows DHS Officials Directed Cuts Without FEMA Input
The court found that DHS officials, not FEMA leadership, developed and imposed the staffing plan. The ruling identified Joseph Guy, Kara Voorhies, and Karen Evans as playing central roles in directing the workforce reductions. Evidence also showed these officials used auto-delete features on Signal messaging while discussing the cuts.
Judge Cites Post-Katrina Law Protecting FEMA Authority
The 2005 federal law created after Hurricane Katrina specifically prohibits substantial reductions in FEMA's responsibilities. Judge Illston found that DHS violated this requirement by failing to provide evidence of reasoned decision-making. The court has not yet ordered remedies or penalties, which will be addressed in a subsequent ruling.
Unions and Local Governments Won the Lawsuit
Federal employee unions and local governments filed the lawsuits arguing the cuts would cripple FEMA's disaster-response capacity. The ruling was a victory for the union representing FEMA workers. These groups warned that halving the workforce would leave communities vulnerable during hurricanes, floods, and other emergencies.
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