Federal Judge Rules Trump Administration's FEMA Staffing Cuts Illegal

NewsData.io · United States · Sep 13, 2026

A federal judge ruled that the Department of Homeland Security acted 'arbitrarily and capriciously' when it revoked FEMA's authority to renew contracts for its CORE on-call disaster response teams, which make up roughly 40% of the agency's workforce. The court found DHS violated a 2006 law prohibiting the substantial reduction of FEMA's authorities. The ruling is a win for the AFGE and AFL-CIO unions that brought the lawsuit, though the judge stopped short of ordering full remedies, directing parties to negotiate the scope of relief. The case signals continued legal friction around federal workforce reductions, with implications for government contractor and contingent workforce markets.