Citing Staffing Needs, FEMA Begins Reinstating Employees

According to the New York Times, the Federal Management Emergency Agency (FEMA) is reversing staffing cuts it previously made under Secretary Kristi Noem's leadership. These reversals have included the reinstatement of 14 employees who signed the Katrina Declaration  — an open letter to Congress expressing concern about FEMA's disaster response readiness. The agency has also offered positions back to its Cadre of On-Call Response and Recovery (CORE) employees after it decided not to renew contracts for around 200 employees in January 2026. Despite an ongoing hiring freeze, FEMA leadership has cited a need for increased staffing ahead of hurricane season and the World Cup.