Federal emergency officials have started contacting disaster response workers who lost their positions in January to offer them new employment opportunities, according to court documents filed Friday evening. The reversal comes after unions, scientific organizations, and local governments challenged the Trump administration’s controversial staffing decisions in federal court.
U.S. Attorney Craig H. Missakian notified the U.S. District Court in San Francisco that FEMA has “initiated contact to offer new appointments” to temporary employees whose employment ended during the first three weeks of January.
This development follows months of confusion surrounding the fate of FEMA’s temporary disaster response workers, who comprise approximately half of the agency’s total workforce. The announcement also comes after news emerged earlier this week that FEMA had brought back 14 workers who spent eight months on paid administrative leave after they publicly criticized policies at FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security.
These recent moves suggest that current Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is shifting away from the more aggressive personnel policies implemented by former DHS leader Kristi Noem before her dismissal. The changes also spark questions about whether officials are concerned about the agency’s readiness for the upcoming Atlantic hurricane season and major events such as the FIFA World Cup.
FEMA officials declined to provide immediate comment Friday regarding the court filing or specify how many workers received return offers. However, on Thursday an agency representative stated that while FEMA doesn’t discuss specific personnel matters, the organization is “addressing outstanding personnel actions to ensure workforce stability and a strong, deployable surge force for upcoming national events and potential disasters.”
The affected workers belong to FEMA’s Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees, known as CORE, who typically serve two- to four-year terms that have historically been renewed regularly. This flexible system enables the agency to expand and contract its workforce based on operational needs. Approximately 10,000 CORE employees work for the agency, with current and former staff members telling the Associated Press that workers often remain in these temporary roles for decades or until retirement.
FEMA suddenly ceased renewing certain CORE contracts when they expired at the beginning of 2026, while extending others for just 90-day periods. The agency halted these non-renewals in late January, just before a major winter storm affected several states. At that point, 159 CORE workers had lost their positions, according to testimony from FEMA’s interim director, Karen S. Evans.
The American Federation of Government Employees led a legal challenge against the administration’s non-renewal decisions, claiming they were part of a broader strategy to reduce FEMA’s workforce by 50 percent and violated FEMA’s congressional responsibility to maintain national disaster readiness.
In her sworn statement, Evans rejected claims of any “blanket” CORE elimination plan and argued that the non-renewals “do not threaten FEMA’s ability to perform its statutory mandate.”
The impact of FEMA’s latest decision on the ongoing legal case remains uncertain. Attorneys representing the plaintiffs stated Friday evening they would respond “after proper factual investigation.” Legal representatives for the plaintiffs are set to question former DHS Deputy Chief of Staff Joseph Guy next week as part of their investigation into the decision-making process behind the CORE dismissals.
One FEMA worker, speaking anonymously due to lack of authorization to discuss the matter publicly, confirmed knowing of at least two CORE employees who have already received callbacks.
FEMA leadership also announced this week that CORE workers whose contracts expire between January and May and previously received 90-day extensions “may be reappointed for up to one year,” along with those whose agreements end after May, according to internal correspondence reviewed by the Associated Press. “Eligible” FEMA reservists will receive two-year renewals, the communication indicated. Approximately 7,000 reservists in the agency’s emergency response workforce face contract expirations on May 2.
“Our readiness directly impacts our ability to help Americans in need,” the internal message stated, “and every employee plays a critical role in meeting these challenges.”
