Top FEMA Official Fired After Saying He Doesn’t Think Agency Should Be Dismantled

The acting administrator of FEMA has been ousted one day after he said that he disagreed with the Trump administration’s push to dismantle the agency and return emergency response authority back to the states.

Acting FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton was fired on Thursday and replaced with another senior Department of Homeland Security official. DHS spokeswoman Tricia McLaughlin confirmed to The Daily Wire that David Richardson, currently the assistant secretary for DHS’ Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, would be taking on the role of senior official performing the duties of administrator.

Hamilton’s firing comes after he testified before the House Appropriations Committee Subcommittee on Homeland Security and said he did not support eliminating FEMA.

“As the senior advisor to the president on disasters and emergency management, and to the Secretary of Homeland Security, I do not believe it is in the best interest the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” he said on Wednesday. “Having said that, I am not in a position to make decisions and impact outcomes on whether or not a determination as consequential as that should be made. That is a conversation that should be had between the President of the United States and this governing body.”

President Donald Trump formed a government council earlier this year intended to evaluate FEMA and potentially consider its elimination.

“I am proud to announce the formation of the FEMA Review Council, comprised of Top Experts in their fields, who are Highly Respected by their peers,” Trump posted on Truth Social last week. “I know that the new Members will work hard to fix a terribly broken System, and return power to State Emergency Managers, who will help, MAKE AMERICA SAFE AGAIN. Congratulations to all!”

That came after he said in January that he was looking at potentially “getting rid” of FEMA and giving states more control over their response to natural disasters. Under Trump’s plan, the federal government would still provide funding for emergency operations.

Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said Tuesday that Trump believed that FEMA had largely failed the American people.

“President Trump has been very clear since the beginning that he believes that FEMA and its response, in many, many circumstances, has failed the American people and that FEMA, as it exists today, should be eliminated and empowering states to respond to disasters with federal government support,” she said.

FEMA has come under fire in recent months after it was found to have skipped the homes of Trump supporters in Florida for political reasons. The agency was also criticized over its sluggish response to Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.