FEMA halts terminations of disaster workers as agency prepares for massive winter storm

By Gabe Cohen, CNN

(CNN) — The Federal Emergency Management Agency has abruptly halted ongoing terminations of hundreds of disaster workers as the agency prepares for an enormous winter storm expected to pound a large swath of the country in the coming days.

In an email Thursday afternoon, obtained by CNN, staff were told that FEMA would “cease offboarding” disaster workers whose employment contracts are expiring in the days ahead — a practice that had been ongoing since the start of January.

Two sources familiar with the decision said the looming storm was a significant factor in the sudden pause, though Homeland Security officials have been quietly grappling with the fate of these workers for weeks.

It is unclear how long the pause in dismissals will last.

So far this month, roughly 300 disaster workers have been let go, with only a handful receiving contract extensions, according to other sources.

In response to a request for comment Thursday evening, DHS stressed that the agency’s disaster staffing includes “term-limited positions that are designed to FLUCTUATE based on disaster activity, operational NEED, and available funding.”

The pause came just hours after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, whose department oversees FEMA, visited the agency’s headquarters for a briefing on the incoming winter storm, which forecasters warn could devastate communities and require a significant federal response.

Noem, a vocal critic of FEMA throughout President Donald Trump’s second term, has repeatedly called for sweeping reforms — or even the agency’s elimination. The Trump administration is already deep into a FEMA overhaul, with thousands of employees — including many seasoned leaders — lost to layoffs and buyouts over the past 12 months.

Even as Noem toured FEMA’s headquarters and met with officials Thursday, managers were escorting staffers out of the building whose contracts were ending, according to a source who witnessed the scene.

But then, something shifted, and hours later the cuts were paused.

Noem held a call Thursday morning with governors from the states expected to be impacted to address any questions and concerns about preparations and federal resources.

In internal documents obtained by CNN on Thursday, agency leaders outlined their winter storm preparations, writing that “FEMA is on the ground and leaning forward, proactively supporting states in the path of this winter storm to ensure a rapid and well-coordinated response. Disasters are best when locally execute, state managed and federally supported, a role we take seriously.”

FEMA has activated its National Response Coordination Center, deployed response teams and resources to Texas, Virginia, Georgia and Pennsylvania, and pre-staged 30 generators, 250,000 meals and 400,000 liters of water in Louisiana, according to the documents.

More than 200 specialists will staff call centers to support survivors needing urgent assistance, and more than two dozen Urban Search and Rescue teams are on standby, the documents showed.

Recent FEMA cuts

Nearly all of the workers axed in January are part of FEMA’s Cadre of On-Call Response and Recovery — known as “CORE” — the backbone of the agency, making up about 40% of FEMA’s workforce. These are often the first federal boots on the ground when disaster strikes. Many play key roles in critical projects and oversee aid distribution and long-term funding to states and communities. Their 2- to 4-year contracts have almost always been extended — until now. As of January 1, FEMA lost its authority to renew contracts, and now DHS and Noem must approve every extension.

“We’re getting slaughtered,” a high-ranking FEMA official told CNN last week. “Local disaster recovery is being heavily affected and it’s only going to get worse. Applicants and local governments are getting nervous because their program delivery managers are being let go with little to no notice and no proper transition.”

More than a dozen longtime FEMA officials said these recent cuts have sown new chaos and confusion, as they do not appear to be tied to performance or lack of need, but simply to expiring contracts that the Department of Homeland Security has chosen not to renew.

“This will weaken the agency’s ability to respond to future disasters, delay life-saving operations, and increase the likelihood of operational failures when the next major emergency occurs,” another high-ranking official warned in recent days.

Nearly half of FEMA’s workforce — thousands of employees — face contract expirations in 2026, many just before hurricane and wildfire season. Yet, DHS has offered no public plan for who, if anyone, will be renewed. Even senior FEMA officials admit they’re in the dark about DHS’s long-term strategy.

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