1,000 roles | FEMA staff brace for CORE job cuts amid 'workforce planning exercise'

Federal Emergency Management Agency supervisors are warning employees to prepare for the elimination of about 1,000 jobs this month.

The expected dismissals are tied to workforce changes overseen by Kristi Noem, the secretary of the Department of Homeland Security.

The cuts would affect FEMA’s Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees, known as CORE staff, who are contractual workers that typically serve two or four-year terms that are set to expire this month. CORE employees support disaster recovery and emergency preparedness nationwide and have historically represented nearly 40% of FEMA’s workforce.

Three FEMA employees, including senior officials and supervisors who were not authorized to speak publicly, confirmed the guidance to staff. A FEMA spokesperson did not immediately respond to requests for comment.