Gregg Phillips Remains on the Trump Administration Payroll After FEMA Departure

Gregg Phillips, a former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Office of Response and Recovery, continues to receive federal pay despite reports that he was removed from his FEMA role in June. After posting on Truth Social that he would soon “leave” the administration, Phillips was photographed at a Department of Justice building with former pardon attorney Ed Martin. Both men have not commented on Phillips’s current duties.

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Phillips, known for promoting election-fraud theories and once claiming he “teleported to a Waffle House,” was appointed to oversee FEMA’s emergency response in 2022. In June, a FEMA spokesperson said he was “taking leave for personal reasons.” The White House later confirmed that Phillips is on administrative leave, a status that entitles federal employees to full salary and benefits.

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• FEMA spokesperson: Described Phillips’s June status as a personal-reason leave.

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• White House: Confirmed Phillips remains on administrative leave with full pay and benefits. The same office noted that Ed Martin will stay in the administration until September 4.

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• Administrative leave: Federal employees on such leave retain 100 % of salary and benefits, per standard government policy.

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• Employment timeline: Phillips has been with the Trump administration since the previous year, according to his own Truth Social post.

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• “Enjoyed the visit with our friend Ed Martin today in DC,” — Gregg Phillips

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These details illustrate that, while Phillips no longer leads FEMA’s response efforts, he continues to draw a federal salary under administrative leave, and his recent appearance with Ed Martin suggests ongoing, though undefined, involvement in the administration.

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