DHS Attempts to Cut FEMA CORE Disaster Response Staff

DHS has made attempts to significantly reduce the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) Cadre of On-Call Response and Recovery (CORE) employees. CORE employees make up roughly 40% of FEMA's workforce and are typically deployed first after disasters. According to reporting, the attempted cuts began on December 31, 2025, when approximately 50 employees received non-renewal notices regarding their contracts. Historically, CORE employees had their contracts renewed on supervisor recommendation; sources confirmed that supervisors' renewal requests were being overridden. Internal planning documents obtained by news outlets appeared to show that DHS had analyzed workforce reductions of up to 50% of FEMA's 23,000-person workforce for fiscal year 2026, including a 41% cut to CORE staff and an 85% cut to surge staffers. A litigation challenge argued the cuts violated the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006, which restricts DHS from substantially reducing FEMA's functions without congressional approval.