President Donald Trump is poised to re‑nominate former acting FEMA chief Cameron Hamilton after the Navy SEAL was removed from the post last May. Hamilton, a defense contractor veteran who once ran for Congress in Virginia, has limited direct disaster‑management experience but held senior roles at DHS and the State Department.

Hamilton’s ouster followed a May 7 hearing where he told lawmakers the agency should not be eliminated, contradicting Trump’s earlier pledge to wind down FEMA. That stance sparked a brief clash with the White House, and the administration has not yet issued a formal nomination.

Lawmakers and emergency‑management professionals may object, citing the post‑Katrina statute that requires the FEMA administrator to have extensive disaster‑response credentials. Hamilton’s résumé includes directing emergency medical technicians on the southern border and serving as an emergency‑management specialist at the State Department, but critics argue that experience falls short of the law’s intent.

The agency has shed thousands of staff since Trump took office, and its future remains a political football, with former homeland security secretary Kristi Noem previously floated restructuring or elimination. Senate confirmation will be required, and Hamilton’s appointment could reshape budgeting and contracting for a body that handles billions in disaster relief annually.