Key facts
- Hurricane Isaias could be FEMA's biggest test since Trump-era cuts, experts warn.
- Over 4,300 FEMA employees, or 17% of the workforce, left in fiscal year 2025.
- 58 senior executive service employees departed FEMA between January 2025 and January 2026.
- FEMA is deploying incident management assistance teams to Alabama and Florida.
- Governors in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama have declared states of emergency.
- A federal judge previously ruled the Trump administration's plan to cut FEMA staff by 50% unlawful.
Gulf state officials have stated their preparedness for Hurricane Isaias, but the storm is anticipated to be a significant challenge for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) in deploying a large surge workforce. This comes after substantial staff reductions and restructuring under the Trump administration, which experts warn could impact the agency's capacity.
According to a US Government Accountability Office (GAO) report, over 4,300 employees, approximately 17% of the workforce, departed FEMA in fiscal year 2025. Many of these departures included experienced personnel through early retirement. Between January 2025 and January 2026 alone, 58 senior executive service employees left FEMA, a notable increase from the average of about 13 per year in the preceding three fiscal years.
Deanne Criswell, who previously led FEMA, highlighted concerns about the loss of institutional knowledge and experienced staff. FEMA, in a written statement, affirmed its commitment to safety and stated that incident management assistance teams are deploying to Alabama and Florida, with personnel embedded in state emergency operations centers. Emergency supplies are also being prepositioned in Montgomery, Alabama.
Governors in Florida, Georgia, and Alabama have declared states of emergency. State officials in Louisiana and Mississippi reported receiving full support from FEMA during Tropical Storm Arthur earlier this year. Jared Perdue, Florida's division of emergency management executive director, noted close coordination with federal partners.
However, experts like Chris Currie of the GAO cautioned that FEMA could be stretched thin if faced with multiple natural disasters, especially as El Niño strengthens. He pointed to the 2024 hurricanes Helene and Milton, which made landfall less than two weeks apart, requiring FEMA to deploy 13,500 employees and straining its capacity. The agency has reportedly struggled with staffing and qualifications even before recent cuts, and a federal judge ruled the Trump administration's plan to cut staff by 50% unlawful.
Ginny Goldman, founder of Rebuild: the National Disaster Survivors Association, noted that disaster survivors are still awaiting individual assistance from previous events, suggesting that the system is already strained. She stated that Hurricane Isaias would be FEMA's "biggest test" since the staffing cuts, coming at a time of compounding challenges for Americans.