(../../../../favicon_aje.ico) US court blocks Trump administration plan to cut disaster agency workforce | Courts News | Al Jazeera    (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/9/12/us-court-blocks-trump-administration-plan-to-cut-disaster-agency-workforce)                                              (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/amp/news/2026/9/12/us-court-blocks-trump-administration-plan-to-cut-disaster-agency-workforce)  (https://www.aljazeera.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ap_6a6263131b4c1-1784832787.jpg?resize=1920%2C1440)  (../../../../wp-content/uploads/2026/07/ap_6a6263131b4c1-1784832787.jpg@resize=770,513&quality=80)     (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org) (https://cdn.cookielaw.org/scripttemplates/otSDKStub.js) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://www.google-analytics.com) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (https://static.chartbeat.com/) (../../../../static/css/vendor~main~d08ff9cb.24bf1742.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~748942c6.6c6e15fe.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~b07b7304.e3bc53a0.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~6e6dca10.74fd263a.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/css/component~main~5db14389.c7afea12.r2.chunk.css) (../../../../static/media/Roboto-Bold.52bb58c8.woff2) (../../../../static/media/Roboto-Regular.c5bf51b6.woff2)  (../../../../static/css/vendor~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-blo~5f903362.2e08e417.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~41c72a2c.3f309873.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/component~aje/containers/home-page~components/video-article/videoPageDispatcher~containers/amp-live-~06be7c11.0625e98d.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/pages/article-page~493df0b3.accd71c7.r2.chunk.css)  (../../../../static/css/common~493df0b3.ec3ab9b5.r2.chunk.css)   Skip links (us-court-blocks-trump-administration-plan-to-cut-disaster-agency-workforce@traffic_source=rss.html#main-content-area) Skip to Content  (https://www.aljazeera.com/)          (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Sign up  Show navigation menu     Navigation menu (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News    Show more news sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/africa/) Africa   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia/) Asia   (https://www.aljazeera.com/us-canada/) US & Canada   (https://www.aljazeera.com/latin-america/) Latin America   (https://www.aljazeera.com/europe/) Europe   (https://www.aljazeera.com/asia-pacific/) Asia Pacific      (https://www.aljazeera.com/middle-east/) Middle East   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/explainer/) Explained   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sports) Sport   (https://www.aljazeera.com/opinion/) Opinion   (https://www.aljazeera.com/videos/) Video   More   Show more sections  (https://www.aljazeera.com/features/) Features   (https://www.aljazeera.com/economy/) Economy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/human-rights/) Human Rights   (https://www.aljazeera.com/climate-crisis) Climate Crisis   (https://www.aljazeera.com/investigations/) Investigations   (https://www.aljazeera.com/interactives/) Interactives   (https://www.aljazeera.com/gallery/) In Pictures   (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/science-and-technology/) Science & Technology   (https://www.aljazeera.com/audio/podcasts) Podcasts   (https://www.aljazeera.com/travel) Travel   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored/) Sponsored Content        (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/live) play    Live    Click here to search search     Sign up        Navigation menu caret-left    (https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/donald-trump/) Donald Trump    (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/this-is-america/2026/7/28/trump-netanyahu-and-the-iran-question) Trump, Netanyahu and the Iran question   (https://www.aljazeera.com/video/the-bottom-line/2026/5/24/how-will-iran-war-fallout-impact-upcoming-us-elections) How Iran war fallout may shape US elections   (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/longform/2026/5/19/how-the-shape-of-a-map-can-determine-the-us-midterm-elections) A visual guide to redistricting     caret-right         (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/) News |(https://www.aljazeera.com/tag/courts/) Courts   US court blocks Trump administration plan to cut disaster agency workforce US President Donald Trump has said he would like to abolish the agency.   Listen   Listen (2 mins)       Save       Share US court blocks Trump administration plan to cut disaster agency workforce on social media share-nodes    Share (https://www.facebook.com/sharer/sharer.php?u=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fvghm0g) facebook      (https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?text=US%20court%20blocks%20Trump%20administration%20plan%20to%20cut%20disaster%20agency%20workforce&source=sharethiscom&related=sharethis&via=AJEnglish&url=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fvghm0g) x    (whatsapp://send?text=https%3A%2F%2Faje.news%2Fvghm0g) whatsapp-stroke    (https://aje.news/vghm0g)  copylink          google       Add Al Jazeera on Google  info      (FILE - People work at the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington, Jan. 24, 2026. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson, File))   People work at the Federal Emergency Management Agency headquarters in Washington, DC [File: Julia Demaree Nikhinson/AP Photo]   (https://www.aljazeera.com/author/al_jazeera_staff_150119130629458)     By  (https://www.aljazeera.com/author/al_jazeera_staff_150119130629458) Al Jazeera Staff and Reuters   Published On 12 Sep 2026 12 Sep 2026    A United States federal judge has ruled the Trump administration acted unlawfully by ordering job cuts at the federal agency in charge of responding to the country’s natural disasters. On Friday, US District Judge Susan Illston in California said the US Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), exceeded its authority when it ordered personnel changes that effectively stripped the emergency agency of control over its own workforce. Recommended Stories list of 3 items list 1 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/11/17/acting-fema-head-david-richardson-steps-down-after-troubled-tenure) Acting FEMA head David Richardson steps down after troubled tenure  list 2 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2026/3/6/why-did-trump-remove-kristi-noem-as-dhs-secretary-who-is-markwayne-mullin) Why did Trump fire Kristi Noem as DHS secretary; who is Markwayne Mullin?  list 3 of 3 (https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/10/14/us-court-rules-trump-violated-order-by-placing-conditions-on-fema-grants) US court rules Trump violated order by placing conditions on FEMA grants   end of list  The ruling centres on thousands of temporary FEMA reservists who are called upon to help communities after hurricanes, wildfires, floods and other disasters. Labor groups representing federal workers sued to block the administration’s decision to stop renewing many of those contracts. After Hurricane Katrina battered parts of the US Gulf Coast in 2005, the US Congress strengthened FEMA’s independence. US federal law says DHS cannot substantially or significantly reduce the agency’s authority, responsibilities or functions. Illston, who was appointed by former US President Bill Clinton, said the Trump administration had failed to provide what she described as a “reasoned” explanation for its decision to restrict FEMA’s ability to renew contracts. She also noted FEMA was projecting a workforce of 11,383 employees for the coming fiscal year — about half of its previous level — without a clear justification for the figure. The dispute comes amid a broader effort by US President Donald Trump’s administration to reduce the size of the federal workforce. Trump has previously questioned the need for FEMA and suggested that states, not the federal government, should assume greater responsibility for disaster preparedness. Advertisement    The ruling did not immediately order the administration to reverse the cuts or impose penalties. Illston said those issues would be considered in a separate decision expected next month.            aj-logo             aj-logo             aj-logo       Advertisement          About About   Show more  (https://www.aljazeera.com/about-us) About Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/code-of-ethics/) Code of Ethics   (https://www.aljazeera.com/terms-and-conditions/) Terms and Conditions   (https://www.aljazeera.com/eu-eea-regulatory/) EU/EEA Regulatory Notice   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/) Privacy Policy   (https://privacy.aljazeera.net/cookie/) Cookie Policy   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Cookie Preferences    (https://trust.aljazeera.net/accessibility/) Accessibility Statement   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sitemap) Sitemap   (https://careers.aljazeera.net/) Work for us      Connect Connect   Show more  (https://network.aljazeera.net/en/contact?tid=6) Contact Us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/user-accounts-help) User Accounts Help   (https://commercial.aljazeera.net/) Advertise with us   (https://www.aljazeera.com/stay-connected) Stay Connected   (https://www.aljazeera.com/newsletters) Newsletters   (https://sat.aljazeera.net/en) Channel Finder   (https://www.aljazeera.com/schedule/) TV Schedule   (https://www.aljazeera.com/podcasts/) Podcasts   (https://webapps.aljazeera.net/aje/tips/) Submit a Tip   (https://www.aljazeera.com/sponsored) Paid Partner Content      Our Channels Our Channels   Show more  (http://aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Arabic   (https://www.aljazeera.com/) Al Jazeera English   (https://www.ajiunit.com/) Al Jazeera Investigative Unit   (https://www.aljazeeramubasher.net/) Al Jazeera Mubasher   (http://doc.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Documentary   (http://balkans.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Balkans   (http://ajplus.net/) AJ+      Our Network Our Network   Show more  (http://studies.aljazeera.net/en/) Al Jazeera Centre for Studies   (http://training.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Media Institute   (http://learning.aljazeera.net/) Learn Arabic   (http://liberties.aljazeera.com/en) Al Jazeera Centre for Public Liberties & Human Rights   (http://forum.aljazeera.net/) Al Jazeera Forum   (https://hotels.aljazeera.net/en) Al Jazeera Hotel Partners        Follow Al Jazeera English: (https://www.facebook.com/aljazeera) facebook       (https://twitter.com/ajenglish) twitter     (https://www.youtube.com/aljazeeraenglish) youtube     (https://www.instagram.com/aljazeeraenglish/?hl=en) instagram-colored-outline                          (https://www.aljazeera.com/xml/rss/all.xml) rss     (https://bsky.app/profile/aljazeera.com) bluesky     (https://www.tiktok.com/@aljazeeraenglish) tiktok-colored-outline                  (Al Jazeera Media Network logo)   © 2026 Al Jazeera Media Network