New emails show how Kristi Noem plans to slash the number FEMA disaster responders in half this year

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) could see its workforce drastically reduced throughout 2026, according to a new report.

The Washington Post reports that internal Department of Homeland Security documents, including emails, reveal plans to lay off thousands of jobs in disaster response and recovery.

The layoffs will likely be carried out in stages, according to three people briefed on the plans, who spoke on condition of anonymity.

They said the first round of cuts took place on New Year’s Eve, when approximately 65 positions were eliminated from FEMA’s Cadre of On-Call Response and Recovery (CORE), the agency’s largest workforce component.

CORE staff are typically deployed soon after disasters and may remain in affected communities for years to support recovery efforts.

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However, emails circulated among senior FEMA leaders in late December include spreadsheets identifying positions that could be eliminated across multiple divisions, The Post reported.

One table shows a proposed 41% reduction in CORE roles, totalling more than 4,300 jobs.

Another outlines an 85% reduction in surge staffing - standby workers often deployed immediately after disasters - representing nearly 6,500 positions.

A FEMA spokesperson told The Independent: “FEMA has not issued and is not implementing a percentage-based workforce reduction. There is no directive to reduce the agency’s workforce by 50 percent, and no such target has been approved by DHS or the White House.

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“The materials referenced from the leaked documentation stem from a routine, pre-decisional workforce planning exercise conducted in line with OMB and OPM guidance. The email outlining that exercise did not direct staffing cuts or establish reduction targets. An accompanying spreadsheet was an internal working tool used to collect planning inputs.”

They added: “Any numerical assumptions reflected in that draft were not approved, were not adopted, and do not represent FEMA policy or leadership direction. We have addressed the issue internally to ensure supporting materials fully align with the finalized guidance.

“Separately, recent CORE end-of-term decisions are not related to the workforce capacity planning exercise described in the leaked email or any accompanying materials.”

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has long sought to reduce CORE staffing, according to two former senior officials. Internal emails and people familiar with the plans said Noem has been closely involved in shaping the proposed reductions.

Former acting FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton, who led the agency early in former President Donald Trump’s second term, said significant cuts to disaster-specific staff could slow assistance to survivors.

DHS has publicly stated that it terminated 50 employees in early January, describing the move as a routine adjustment affecting 50 of approximately 8,000 staff.

The Independent has contacted the DHS for comment.