President Trump plans to nominate Cameron Hamilton to lead FEMA less than a year after firing him in May 2025 — a striking reversal that reflects the administration's pullback from Kristi Noem's aggressive plan to eliminate the agency. Hamilton was pushed out after publicly testifying to Congress that FEMA should be preserved, directly contradicting Trump administration policy at the time. The shift signals new Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin's different approach: still cutting red tape but preserving the agency rather than dismantling it, after Noem's cuts (30% workforce reduction) triggered bipartisan backlash and created a multibillion-dollar disaster funding backlog.