FEMA is getting rid of thousands of workers in areas recovering from disasters
Source: NPR
January 16, 2026 5:00 AM ET
Thousands of workers across the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will lose their jobs this year, according to multiple people who attended personnel meetings that supervisors held in the last week.
FEMA supervisors warned that workers with multiyear contracts that are set to expire this year will not see those contracts extended, even if they are actively working on rebuilding efforts in places that recently suffered disasters. Some divisions within the agency stand to lose half their workers if current policies stay in place for the rest of the year, those with direct knowledge said. They all requested that NPR not use their names because they were told they would be fired for speaking to the press.
FEMA and the White House did not respond to questions about why employees are being let go or how the cuts will affect the agency's ability to respond to disasters. President Trump has repeatedly stated that he believes FEMA is ineffective and should be eliminated as it currently exists, although the administration has not released a long-awaited report on specific reforms.
"I think it's irresponsible," says Michael Coen, who served as FEMA chief of staff under the Biden and Obama administrations. "I think it's going to adversely affect FEMA's ability to respond and help communities recover." The Washington Post originally reported on plans to cut about 50% of the agency's workforce.
Read more: https://www.npr.org/2026/01/16/nx-s1-5677605/fema-cuts-jobs-trump
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