FEMA Boss Fired After Remarks To Congress
A major shake-up has struck the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following the dismissal of its acting administrator, Cameron Hamilton, who was fired just one day after publicly opposing potential plans to eliminate the agency. The decision marks a pivotal moment in the Trump administration’s emerging strategy to restructure national disaster management.
Hamilton was summoned to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) headquarters in Washington, D.C., where he was informed of his termination by Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Troy Edgar and senior Trump adviser Corey Lewandowski, according to a source familiar with the matter. The move came shortly after Hamilton testified before a House Appropriations subcommittee, during which he contradicted Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s recent remarks on possibly dismantling FEMA and redirecting its responsibilities to state-level emergency agencies.
“I do not believe it is in the best interests of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” Hamilton said during the hearing.
Within 24 hours, FEMA confirmed his removal, announcing that David Richardson, an assistant secretary for the DHS Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, would step in as the new acting administrator.
Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL, had reportedly considered resigning earlier in the year but stayed on after FEMA staff urged him to remain amid growing uncertainty within the agency. His departure underscores tensions between FEMA’s leadership and the new administration’s plans to drastically reform the nation’s disaster-response framework.
The dismissal follows a string of firings at FEMA earlier in the week. DHS officials confirmed that four agency employees had been terminated for approving payments to accommodate migrants in New York City hotels—an action the department labeled as “egregious.” The revelation, which drew sharp criticism from political figures and commentators, further fueled calls from the White House for a full-scale audit of FEMA’s spending practices.