U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ruled that the Trump administration broke federal law by directing the Federal Emergency Management Agency to cut its workforce in half, finding that the Department of Homeland Security unlawfully usurped personnel authority in violation of post-Katrina reforms and administrative procedures.
A federal court has struck down plans by the Trump administration to slash the workforce at the Federal Emergency Management Agency. In a 32-page order issued in San Francisco, U.S. District Judge Susan Illston ruled that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security acted unlawfully by usurping FEMA’s authority over its own personnel decisions throughout 2025.
The litigation traces back to a broader challenge filed in April 2025 by several unions, led by the American Federation of Government Employees, targeting sweeping federal layoffs. Over successive months, the case narrowed to focus on agency-specific actions. Illston, an appointee of President Bill Clinton, concluded that the administration’s aggressive restructuring violated the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2005 and the Administrative Procedure Act.
Statutory Violations and the Push to Halve Staffing
At the center of the dispute was a plan to reduce FEMA’s staffing levels drastically. While FEMA operates as a component of the Department of Homeland Security, the post-Katrina reform law explicitly states that the department may not substantially or significantly reduce the agency’s authorities, responsibilities, or functions.
The court found that the administration violated this statute by blocking FEMA from renewing the temporary contracts of thousands of on-call reservists, known as the Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees. These workers are full-time personnel hired for two- to four-year terms to handle disasters across the country rather than being hired for a single specific event.
Unions argued that the planned staffing reductions would severely undermine the agency’s disaster-response capabilities. According to the court record, former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ordered the cuts rather than having them originate from within FEMA itself, bypassing congressional approval.
Vanishing Messages and Unanswered Questions
“This begs the question: if FEMA supervisors and the FEMA CHCO did not recommend a 50% staffing cut, where did that number come from?”
Photo: cnbc.com
U.S. District Judge Susan Illston, via Yahoo
Democracy Forward, a left-leaning advocacy group representing the plaintiffs, applaud the ruling in a statement emphasizing Congress’s intent for FEMA to operate independently to protect communities during emergencies.
The factual landscape of the case shifted as litigation progressed. In June, the court declined to immediately block the job cuts after noting that FEMA had temporarily backed away from its plans following public leaks of the 50 percent reduction proposal.
Photo: es-us.noticias.yahoo.com
Furthermore, FEMA projected its staffing levels for the upcoming fiscal year at 11,383 employees—roughly half of prior operational levels—without providing a reasoned justification for the figure.
Friday’s decision did not impose immediate penalties or remedies. Illston directed the parties to meet, confer, and submit briefings regarding the appropriate scope of relief, with a subsequent ruling addressing remedies scheduled for next month.
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