{
  "id": 6948299,
  "title": "US judge rules that Trump plan to halve FEMA workforce violated law",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/12/us-judge-rules-that-trump-plan-to-halve-fema-workforce-violated-law-6948299",
  "topic": "finance",
  "section": "Finance & Markets",
  "published": "2026-09-12T15:54:23.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Economic Times - Economy",
    "slug": "the-economic-times-economy",
    "url": "https://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/economy/foreign-trade/us-judge-rules-that-trump-plan-to-halve-fema-workforce-violated-law/articleshow/134141948.cms"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "A U.S. judge has declared the Trump administration's halving of FEMA's workforce unconstitutional. According to a decision issued by U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco, the Department of Homeland Security violated federal law by overstepping FEMA's authority and reducing disaster-response jobs. FEMA, part of DHS, cannot significantly diminish its authority, responsibilities, or functions. The judge ruled without providing remedies or penalties, stating that would be addressed in a separate ruling later. The unions involved filed an amended lawsuit in January, claiming the cuts undermined FEMA's mission, lacked congressional approval, and were ordered by former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem rather than FEMA. The Trump administration argued FEMA had flexibility to decide staffing levels, and President Trump had suggested abolishing FEMA or transferring emergency preparedness to states.",
  "summary": "A US judge ruled the Trump administration unlawfully cut FEMA's workforce. The Department of Homeland Security usurped FEMA's authority over its personnel. This action violated a federal law enacted after Hurricane Katrina. The judge found the department acted unlawfully by stopping contract renewals. Remedies and penalties for this ruling will be addressed next month.",
  "key_points": [],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 3,
    "also_reported_by": [
      {
        "outlet": "Investing.com",
        "title": "US judge rules that Trump plan to halve FEMA workforce violated law",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/12/us-judge-rules-that-trump-plan-to-halve-fema-workforce-violated-law",
        "published": "2026-09-12T15:24:53.000Z"
      },
      {
        "outlet": "CNBC",
        "title": "US judge rules that Trump plan to halve FEMA workforce violated law",
        "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/12/us-judge-rules-that-trump-plan-to-halve-fema-workforce-violated-law-6982071",
        "published": "2026-09-12T19:35:14.000Z"
      }
    ]
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}