Orange County resident Cameron Hamilton may be taking back over as head of FEMA, a year after leaving the agency.
On Monday, President Donald Trump nominated Hamilton to be the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Hamilton served as “senior official performing the duties of FEMA Administrator” from late-January to early-May 2025. He was removed shortly after testifying in a House Appropriations Committee hearing that FEMA should not be dismantled, something Trump had proposed along with then-Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem.
The government agency has been a bit of a revolving door at the top since Trump took office. There have been two acting FEMA administrators since Hamilton’s departure. The most recent, Karen Evans, led the agency from December to May. She is being replaced by Robert Fenton, who runs the FEMA regional office in California. He will serve as a placeholder until Hamilton is confirmed by the Senate.
According to Politico, Hamilton had recently returned to FEMA, acting as senior counselor to Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin. Hamilton is a longtime public servant. He enlisted in the Armed Forces in 2005, a fourth-generation service member, and served on SEAL Team Eight for four overseas deployments. He continued his service at the U.S. Department of State and served in the U.S. Department of Homeland Security as the director of the emergency medical services division. Locally, Hamilton sought to represent the 7th Congressional District. He lost in the Republican Primary to Derrick Anderson in June 2024. His wife, Karen Hamilton, represents the 62nd District in the Virginia House of Delegates.
