Judge Rules DHS Illegally Ordered FEMA Halving

A federal judge ruled that the Trump administration acted unlawfully when the Department of Homeland Security directed FEMA to cut its workforce roughly in half and limited the agency’s authority to renew contracts for disaster-response reservists. U.S. District Judge Susan Illston found that DHS violated a post-Hurricane Katrina law barring substantial reductions in FEMA’s responsibilities and failed to provide evidence of reasoned decision-making. The ruling followed lawsuits by federal employee unions and local governments, which argued the cuts would undermine FEMA’s ability to respond to disasters. The court also found that the staffing plan was imposed by DHS rather than developed within FEMA, despite agency recommendations to maintain or increase staffing. Illston has not yet ordered remedies or penalties, which will be addressed in a subsequent ruling.