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6h ago

DHS Starts Cuts to FEMA’s CORE Workforce After Pulling Renewal Authority

The changes raise warnings about reduced federal surge capacity.

Members of FEMA Urban Search and Rescue teams Washington Task Force 1 and Nevada Task Force 1 continue searching through destroyed neighborhoods in the Maui city of Lahaina, Hawaii, on August 13, 2023.
Wildfire victims seek disaster relief services at one of two FEMA Disaster Recovery Centers at the Pasadena City College Community Education Center in Pasadena, California, on January 14, 2025.
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Overview

  • Roughly 50 CORE staff received non-renewal notices around New Year’s, with departures effective in the first days of January.
  • Internal documents show DHS revoked FEMA’s authority to renew CORE contracts as of January 1 after imposing 180-day limits last year.
  • Two sources say Acting Administrator Karen Evans approved the terminations, following her elevation after the previous chief resigned.
  • CORE employees account for about 40% of FEMA’s workforce and are key first responders, with former officials warning states could be left more on their own.
  • DHS says CORE jobs are term-limited and policy is unchanged, as a pending FEMA Review Council plan to shrink the agency looms and GAO-flagged staffing gaps persist.