Gregg Phillips has been appointed to a leadership role at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, despite lacking prior experience managing state or federal emergency operations and having been a vocal critic of the agency.
Phillips, 65, is widely known for claiming that millions of noncitizens voted in the 2016 presidential election. He will oversee FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery, the agency’s largest division. The position does not require U.S. Senate confirmation. FEMA’s interim leader, Karen Evan, similarly lacks extensive emergency management experience. She took over following the resignation of David Richardson, who served as acting administrator for six months.
A spokesperson for the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, described Phillips as bringing experience in emergency and humanitarian response, state government operations, and large-scale program reform. Phillips has previously described FEMA as an agency that has failed those in need and has stated he has been a vocal opponent of it. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has also expressed interest in reshaping or eliminating FEMA in its current form.
Since January, FEMA has seen a reduction of roughly 2,500 employees, leaving around 23,300 staff. The agency’s Fiscal Year 2025 budget totals approximately $59.2 billion, including both annual appropriations and supplemental Disaster Relief Fund allocations. Officials said Phillips will support leadership efforts to reform the agency, clarify federal responsibilities, strengthen coordination with states, and improve accountability in disaster response.
The Office of Response and Recovery recommends disaster declarations, distributes manufactured housing after disasters, assists communities recovering from disasters or terrorism, and ensures field operations are timely and effective. Some longtime FEMA officials have emphasized the importance of technical expertise in determining disaster declarations and guiding the agency’s response.
Phillips previously led the Texas Health and Human Services Commission and served as deputy commissioner of the Mississippi Department of Human Services. His tenure included allegations of ethical misconduct involving contracts awarded to his private companies.
Phillips has been a prominent supporter of Donald Trump. After the 2016 election, he claimed, without evidence, that mass voter fraud denied Trump the popular vote and later disputed Joe Biden’s victory in the 2020 election. In 2022, Phillips and True the Vote’s president were jailed for defying a court order to provide information supporting their claims of election irregularities. He was also featured in the widely discredited film 2000 Mules, which promoted claims of election fraud in 2020.