President Donald Trump’s nominee to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has pledged to be unbiased when assessing disaster relief requests.
“My focus will be to ensure that FEMA is objective, is fair and reasonable, follows the law, and is consistent” in how it reviews disaster declaration requests, Cameron Hamilton said at a nomination hearing on June 17.
Sen. Gary Peters (D-Mich.), the ranking Democrat member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, had charged that there is a discrepancy between Republican- and Democrat-led states receiving aid, with the latter being denied significantly more often.
If his nomination is approved, Hamilton would serve as the chief adviser to Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin on matters related to emergency management. FEMA operates under the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
He would become FEMA’s first Senate-confirmed administrator during Trump’s second term. Since the start of 2025, the agency has been led by four acting administrators, including Hamilton, who held the role from January through May.
Hamilton would inherit an agency facing significant challenges, including large-scale employee departures, operational restrictions imposed by policy changes, and an extended DHS shutdown.
One of Hamilton’s immediate priorities would be ensuring that FEMA is ready for the summer hurricane season. At the same time, he would be expected to carry out Trump’s vision for the agency, particularly after a presidentially appointed council recommended major reforms to FEMA’s structure and operations.
Hamilton said he would release a 30-day report to Congress analyzing FEMA’s operations and recommending reforms, including how to improve disaster declaration processes, disaster assistance thresholds, and support for nonprofit security grants, and then hold regular meetings with members of Congress to answer their questions.
Hamilton did not deliver an opening statement during the hearing and was among 10 nominees under review by the committee. Other nominees include Hal Duncan, Trump’s choice for deputy director of the Office of Management and Budget, and David Cummins, who was nominated to lead the Transportation Security Administration.
During the proceedings, Peters criticized Sen. Rand Paul (R-Ky.), the committee’s chairman, for placing so many nominees on the agenda at the same time. Peters argued that this made it harder for senators to thoroughly evaluate each nominee.
“The lineup today severely limits our ability to have transparency for the American public,” Peters said.
He pointed out that Hamilton was one of two nominees whose FBI background checks were still pending, while two other nominees had yet to file their financial disclosure forms.
Paul said the committee would not proceed with a vote until all nominees had completed the required financial disclosures and background investigations.
