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4mo ago

FEMA Acting Administrator Fired Following Opposition to Agency Elimination

Cameron Hamilton was replaced by David Richardson after testifying against the Trump administration's push to dismantle FEMA, weeks before hurricane season begins.

Cameron Hamilton acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency testifies before the House Committee on Appropriations dubcommittee on Homeland Security oversight hearing of FEMA on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, May 7, 2025. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana)
FILE - A neighborhood still flooded from Hurricane Milton prepares to have the FEMA Disaster Recover Center covert to a polling location for the general election on Monday, Nov. 4, 2024, in Ridge Manor, Fla. (AP Photo/Mike Carlson, File)
Rescue personnel walk in front of a FEMA truck in Surfside, near Miami Beach, Florida, U.S. June 30, 2021. REUTERS/Marco Bello/File Photo
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Overview

  • Cameron Hamilton was removed as acting FEMA administrator on May 8, 2025, a day after opposing the Trump administration's proposal to eliminate the agency during congressional testimony.
  • David Richardson, a senior official at the Department of Homeland Security with no prior disaster management experience, has been appointed as the new acting FEMA administrator.
  • President Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem have advocated for dismantling FEMA and transferring disaster response responsibilities to individual states, citing inefficiency and partisanship within the agency.
  • Hamilton's firing and the leadership change come just weeks before the Atlantic hurricane season begins on June 1, raising concerns about FEMA's readiness during a critical period.
  • Richardson has announced plans to centralize decision-making under his authority and indicated a focus on narrowing FEMA's scope and increasing state-level responsibilities for disaster management.