The acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Cameron Hamilton, was fired a day after he told members of Congress he does not believe the agency should be dismantled, going against the Trump administration's message regarding the future of FEMA.
A Department of Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed to Scripps News that David Richardson has taken over the position. They would not comment on why the change-up was made.
Hamilton was appointed by President Donald Trump.
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During a testimony before the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday, Hamilton broke from the administration when he said he did not feel it was best to dismantle the agency — something President Trump and DHS Secretary Kristi Noem have long said they plan to do.
“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 to the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” Hamilton told the committee. “Having said that, I am not in a position to make decisions and impact outcomes on whether or not a determination such 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.”
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Before the same subcommittee on Tuesday, Noem reiterated that they plan to eliminate FEMA "as it exists today" to "empower states" to handle their own disasters.
