WASHINGTON - Cameron Hamilton, the acting director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, has been ousted from his position by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, a day after he told lawmakers in a hearing that he did not support eliminating his agency.
The leadership change comes at a time when the agency, which is in charge of coordinating the federal government’s response to disasters, is helping states and local communities prepare for the onset of hurricane season on June 1.
Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL who was tapped to lead FEMA in January at the start of President Donald Trump’s second term, will be replaced by David Richardson, a senior official at the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the agency.
Trump and Noem have been critical of FEMA, and both have suggested shrinking or eliminating the agency entirely.
During a congressional hearing on Wednesday, Hamilton appeared to go against Trump and Noem.
“I do not believe it is in the best interests of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” Hamilton said in response to a question by Democratic Representative Rosa DeLauro of Connecticut.
Hamilton acknowledged it was not his decision to make.
“That is a conversation that should be had between the president of the United States and this governing body.”
Steep learning curve
Hamilton had been leading efforts to reform the agency, overseeing steep cuts to staffing and proposing that FEMA reduce assistance to states for less serious disasters.
Some 2,000 FEMA employees have accepted incentives to leave or were terminated since the start of the Trump administration, shrinking its full-time staff by about one-third, according to Michael Coen, former FEMA chief of staff under the administrations of former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Deanne Criswell, who led FEMA for four years under Biden, said Richardson faces a tough challenge in quickly learning how the agency operates and establishing relationships with key staff with just weeks before hurricane season hits.
“He’s probably got less emergency management experience than Hamilton did,” Criswell said. “It just really puts them in an even more vulnerable and weaker spot come June 1.”
FEMA staff were informed of Hamilton’s departure and Richardson’s appointment in a brief message from the acting chief of staff on Thursday afternoon. A FEMA spokesperson did not provide a reason for the leadership change.
Richardson, who did not immediately respond to call or email requests for comment, is a former Marine officer and combat veteran, according to his DHS profile. He was most recently assistant secretary for DHS’ office for countering weapons of mass destruction.
Hamilton was seen by some FEMA officials as a leader who was supportive of the agency and who understood the importance of its work, despite Trump’s public criticism of it.
“President Trump fires anyone who is not blindly loyal to him. Acting Administrator Hamilton has proven his dedication to serving the American people,” DeLauro said in a statement, calling on the administration to explain why he was removed.
The White House did not respond to a request for comment.
On Wednesday, U.S. Representative Mark Green, chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security, posted on X that Hamilton “has done a fantastic job.”
Hamilton, a Tennessee Republican, reposted the comment on Thursday morning, adding, “Thank you, I look forward to our continued work.”
(Reporting by Nathan Layne and Leah Douglas; Additional reporting by Tim Reid and Richard Cowan; Editing by Ross Colvin and Daniel Wallis)
