Homeland Security warns New Mexico needs dozens more staff to handle persistent disasters
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Summary
Major Miguel Aguilar told the Senate Finance Committee that New Mexico’s shift to “persistent” disasters requires more in-house DHSEM staff to speed damage assessments, manage grants and capture federal reimbursements; DHSEM seeks 21 FTEs now and outlines a longer-term need of roughly 83 additional positions.
Major Miguel Aguilar, acting secretary for the Department of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, told the Senate Finance Committee on Jan. 27 that New Mexico is operating in an era of “persistent disasters” and needs more permanent staff to avoid costly delays in recovery.
"New Mexico is no longer dealing with episodic disasters," Aguilar said, listing wildfires, floods, extreme heat and winter storms as overlapping threats. He and DHSEM analysts said the department’s core constraint is capacity, not authority: staffing shortfalls slow timely damage assessments and federal reimbursement, increase physical exposure and prolong community recoveries.
Why it matters: DHSEM argued that underinvestment now leads to higher downstream costs, and that professional grant management is essential to capture FEMA reimbursements. The agency framed additional hiring as a cost-avoidance and federal-dollar-capture strategy rather than only a direct service expansion.
What DHSEM asked for: Aguilar outlined a near-term package of 21 new FTEs and a $2.4 million recurring request to replace contractor-dependent capacity. He also presented a longer staffing analysis showing roughly 83 additional positions (an $7.2 million recurring estimate) would better position the agency to manage simultaneous response, recovery and mitigation operations statewide.
Funding and timing: Aguilar warned that a significant portion of DHSEM’s current capacity comes from contractor staff paid with FEMA or other temporary funds that end in 2027. "The contract has a no compete clause. I can't hire those employees," he said, noting the risk that institutional knowledge will leave once contracts expire.
Executive orders and transparency: Senators pressed officials about the use of executive orders (EOs) to move emergency funds. DHSEM said the governor has statutory authority to issue EOs for declared emergencies and that funds allocated under EOs are then budgeted through processes similar to special appropriations; some committee members urged more routine reporting on how EO funds are spent.
Committee response and next steps: Committee members expressed concern about recruiting and retaining financial and grant-management staff statewide. Several senators suggested partnering with community colleges or workforce programs to build pipelines for financial and grant positions. DHSEM said it is developing business intelligence tools to improve tracking of EO spending and FEMA reimbursements and welcomed follow-up briefings on staffing and procurement.
The committee will consider DHSEM’s budget request as part of its broader FY27 deliberations.