Gregg Phillips, the newly appointed head of FEMA’s Office of Response and Recovery, is scheduled to testify before the House Homeland Security Committee next week as scrutiny mounts over his qualifications, history of conspiracy theories, and past claims of “involuntary teleportation.”
Phillips’ appointment in December 2025 by the Trump administration drew immediate criticism from disaster management experts who cite his lack of experience in the field. The hearing comes as FEMA grapples with a series of severe winter storms across the U.S. and follows a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) shutdown.
Bizarre Claims and Violent Rhetoric
A review of Phillips’ past statements reveals a history of unsubstantiated and provocative claims. In a January 2025 interview on the Onward podcast, months before joining FEMA, Phillips described multiple instances of “involuntary teleportation.”
“Teleporting is no fun… It was scary in a way,” Phillips told host Catherine Engelbrecht, claiming he once suddenly transitioned from his car to a ditch 40 miles away. On another occasion, he claimed to have “ended up” at a Waffle House 50 miles from his starting point in Georgia.
Beyond these claims, Phillips has a documented history of aggressive political rhetoric. In the same podcast episode, Phillips used profanity to describe former President Joe Biden, stating, “He deserves to die. And I hope he does.”
A FEMA spokesperson dismissed the controversy, telling CNN that the comments were “personal, informal, jovial, and somewhat spiritual,” noting they were made while Phillips was “barely surviving cancer” and prior to his government role.
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Ties to Election Conspiracy Theories
Phillips is a prominent figure in the “election integrity” movement. Working with the nonprofit True the Vote, he was a key contributor to the 2022 documentary 2,000 Mules, which alleged widespread voter fraud in the 2020 election. Those claims were subsequently refuted by over 50 court rulings.
Furthermore, a CNN KFile investigation uncovered deleted social media posts where Phillips directed personal attacks at Democratic officials and spread election-related conspiracy theories.
Leadership Vacuum at DHS
The controversy arrives during a period of significant upheaval within the Department of Homeland Security. Tricia McLaughlin, a DHS spokesperson who initially defended Phillips’ “experience,” resigned in February.
More significantly, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem is set to depart at the end of the month following reported friction with President Trump over her congressional testimony regarding aggressive immigration enforcement. The President has nominated Senator Markwayne Mullin (R-OK) to succeed her; a confirmation vote is expected in the coming days.
As Phillips prepares for his congressional testimony, lawmakers are expected to question whether his history of partisan activism and eccentric personal claims undermines the nonpartisan mission of the nation’s primary emergency management agency.
