The acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Cameron Hamilton, has been replaced, according to a statement from the agency. The move comes at a time of turmoil for FEMA, after President Trump has said repeatedly that the country's primary disaster response agency should be eliminated.
Just a day prior, Hamilton testified at a Congressional hearing that while FEMA needs efficiency and "meaningful reform," its core goal is to "focus on survivors."
"I do not believe it is in the best interest of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency," Hamilton testified.
Earlier this week, a Trump Administration official from the agency that oversees FEMA reiterated Trump's wish to get rid of the agency.
"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," said Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
FEMA confirmed Hamilton's departure in a statement and says David Richardson, a Department of Homeland Security official, will step in as acting FEMA administrator.
The agency is entering its most demanding time of year, with the Atlantic hurricane season officially beginning in three weeks and summer wildfire season on its way
More than 200 FEMA employees were fired by the Trump Administration in February and hundreds more have indicated they're planning on leaving the agency by accepting deferred resignation offers. Disaster experts say that could hamper FEMA's work this summer, when the agency relies on its entire staff to respond and deploy to disasters.
The Trump Administration is seeking to shrink the role of FEMA by shifting responsibility for disaster response to the states. Local and state governments are already responsible for responding to disasters like hurricanes, earthquakes and wildfires, but they request the federal government's help when the emergency exceeds local capacity.
Trump signed an executive order stating that a focus on state responsibility would reduce "taxpayer burdens through efficiency" and at Wednesday's Congressional hearing, Hamilton said the threshold for federal involvement should be raised. Trump has also appointed a review council to make recommendations for the future of FEMA.
Many states say they currently don't have the staff or resources to take on more disaster response. Major disasters, like Hurricane Helene last year, require thousands of employees to find survivors, set up shelters and process requests for disaster assistance. The country is also seeing an increasing number of disasters that cause more than $1 billion in damage, as storms, hurricanes and wildfires get more intense as the climate gets hotter.
Democratic congresswoman Rosa DeLauro, who asked Hamilton the question about eliminating FEMA at Wednesday's hearing, demanded answers about his departure.
"President Trump fires anyone who is not blindly loyal to him," DeLauro said in a statement. "Integrity and morality should not cost you your job, and if it does, it says more about your employer than it does you."
Copyright 2025 NPR
