FEMA’s Own Acting Administrator Admits Agency Is "Playing Catch-Up" As Hurricane Season Begins
Sabotaging Our Safety Previously Gave FEMA an F on Disaster Preparedness — Now FEMA Is Confirming It
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Just days into the 2026 hurricane season, FEMA's own acting administrator, Bob Fenton, has confirmed what Sabotaging Our Safety warned weeks ago: the agency is scrambling to recover from months of mismanagement, staff losses, and financial crisis under the Trump administration.
"We are playing catch-up," Fenton told CBS News. "It impacts our readiness ability — which translates to the readiness of the nation."
The admission validates what Sabotaging Our Safety documented in its comprehensive FEMA Readiness Scorecard, released earlier this month, which graded the agency an "F" across leadership, workforce, strategic planning, and hurricane preparedness.
"Fenton's candor is notable — but candor is not a recovery plan," said Sabotaging Our Safety Advisory Council member Davante Lewis. "FEMA is entering hurricane season with nearly half of its top leadership positions vacant, no Senate-confirmed administrator, a depleted Disaster Relief Fund, and an agency that admits it is still catching up on work it should have completed months ago. The Trump administration created this crisis, but Americans in the path of storms will pay the price."
The damage runs deep. According to the SOS scorecard and reporting by CBS News:
The Disaster Relief Fund dropped below $3 billion in April, forcing FEMA into Immediate Needs Funding — a financial emergency status that restricts spending to only the most urgent lifesaving activities.
FEMA has lost more than 5,000 employees since January 2025. Nearly half of its 38 top leadership positions remain vacant.
The two offices most directly responsible for planning and preparedness have no leadership at all.
FEMA has cycled through three acting administrators in 18 months, none Senate-confirmed, and an outside contractor with no emergency management experience was found to have effectively run the agency for months with no public accountability.
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