The Senate has confirmed President Trump’s pick to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which has faced significant scrutiny for its handling of disasters and funding under the Trump administration.
The Senate approved the nomination of Cameron Hamilton to lead the agency as part of a larger slate of 74 nominations confirmed together as a block in a 51-47 vote.
Also confirmed in the vote was Hal Duncan, who will be the deputy director of the White House Office of Management and Budget.
Hamilton previously served as FEMA’s acting leader at the start of the Trump administration, but he was ousted after saying that the agency should not be eliminated, contradicting Trump and then-Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
He was nominated to lead the disaster response agency after Noem’s departure earlier this year.
In his confirmation hearing, Hamilton said FEMA should seek to “strike a new balance” that encourages cost savings.
“I think many states and local officials have had incentives to drive up costs,” he said.
“Yes, they’re entitled to support. We, as the agency, have confirmed we would need to strike a new balance to encourage cost reasonableness and cost savings,” he added.
However, he also backed away from an idea he floated last year that would have quadrupled the threshold for states to qualify for a major disaster declaration and attached federal assistance.
As the Trump administration has moved away from calling for shuttering FEMA outright, the president and other leaders have indicated that they want to dole out less assistance to states.
Meanwhile, some critics have argued that Hamilton lacks qualifications for the role.
Shana Udvardy, senior climate resilience policy analyst with the Climate and Energy program at the Union of Concerned Scientists (UCS), said in a written statement that Hamilton “lacks the experience and qualifications…to lead such a critical agency.”
A law passed after Hurricane Katrina requires the administrator to have “significant experience” in crisis management or related fields and at least five years of executive leadership and management experience.
“At a time when climate change is worsening extreme weather disasters across the nation, it’s imperative FEMA’s leader has the appropriate expertise and is wholeheartedly committed to keeping people safe,” Udvardy said.
Meanwhile, Duncan, who was confirmed to the White House budget office role, made news saying he “can’t commit” that the Trump administration won’t cancel funding without congressional approval.
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