Hamilton testified before the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security on Wednesday afternoon. During the hearing, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) asked him whether the Trump administration planned to eliminate FEMA and whether he believed it ought to be dismantled.

Hamilton responded that FEMA was necessary and could not be replaced by state efforts.

“As the senior adviser to the president on disasters and emergency management and to the secretary of homeland security, I do not believe it is in the best interest of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” Hamilton said. “Having said that, I am not in a position to make decisions and impact outcomes.”

The comments broke with Trump and his cohort’s staunch opposition to FEMA. Trump told reporters during a Jan. 24 trip to see damage in North Carolina from Hurricane Helene that he would soon “begin the process of reforming FEMA or getting rid of FEMA.”

“I think we’re going to recommend that FEMA go away,” Trump said. “I’d like to see the states take care of disasters.

Rep. Lauren Underwood (D-IL) brought up previous comments from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.

“When it comes to FEMA, Secretary Noem said that she wants to eliminate it, and President Trump said that it could, ‘Go away,’” Underwood said. “Let me be clear, eliminating FEMA would cause catastrophic and needless suffering to the American public.”

Hamilton previewed changes he would make to the agency, including having local and state governments lead disaster response efforts, using innovative methods to reach survivors, and enhancing FEMA’s internal operational readiness.

“Red tape, bureaucratic inertia, and top-down micro management have turned this disaster recovery into slow, costly, and frustrating processes,” Hamilton said. “It was for this very reason I was hired to refocus this organization in order to better serve the American people under President Trump’s mandate.”

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FEMA became a national problem for Trump during his campaign and in the aftermath of the 2024 presidential election. Trump administration officials in January said that during the Biden administration, FEMA officials directed employees not to approach or help Florida homes with Trump campaign signs on their property.

A federal investigation revealed “no evidence” of wrongdoing following Hurricanes Helene and Milton. However, former FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell terminated one employee after confirming that the worker instructed employees to ignore homes with Trump signs.