Federal judge ruled DHS unlawfully halved FEMA's workforce, violating post-Katrina law
On September 12, 2026, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ruled that the Department of Homeland Security, under then-Secretary Kristi Noem, unlawfully revoked FEMA's authority to renew contracts for its Cadre of On-Call Response and Recovery Employees (CORE) -- roughly 40% of FEMA's workforce -- as part of a plan to cut the agency's staff by about half. Illston found DHS acted "arbitrarily and capriciously" and violated a 2006 statute barring the Homeland Security Secretary from substantially reducing FEMA's authorities, responsibilities, or functions. The American Federation of Government Employees brought the suit; Illston ordered the parties to negotiate the scope of relief rather than specifying it herself.