Story perspectives

Trump Nominates Navy SEAL Cameron Hamilton as FEMA Chief

5/12/2026

Summary

Story summary

President Donald Trump nominated former Navy SEAL Cameron Hamilton as the permanent Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administrator, pending Senate confirmation.
Hamilton will inherit an agency weakened by mass staff departures and a 75-day Department of Homeland Security shutdown that ended April 30.
Senators may scrutinize his nomination because he has never led a state or local emergency-management agency, a usual prerequisite for overseeing FEMA’s 21,000 employees.

1 of 1

Story summary

President Donald Trump nominated former Navy SEAL Cameron Hamilton as the permanent Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) administrator, pending Senate confirmation.
Hamilton will inherit an agency weakened by mass staff departures and a 75-day Department of Homeland Security shutdown that ended April 30.
Senators may scrutinize his nomination because he has never led a state or local emergency-management agency, a usual prerequisite for overseeing FEMA’s 21,000 employees.