FEMA's top official fired three weeks before hurricane season
TAMPA, Fla. - The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is facing another leadership shakeup just weeks before hurricane season begins. After months of mounting tension with the Trump administration, former FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton has been fired — just one day after testifying before Congress.
"FEMA was established to provide focused support in truly catastrophic disasters," Hamilton said during his testimony Wednesday. "Yet at times we have strayed far from that core mission and evolved into an overextended federal bureaucracy."
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Hamilton reiterating, "I do not believe it is in the best interests of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency."
Dig deeper:
Twenty-four hours later, he was ousted.
His dismissal follows continued criticism from President Donald Trump, who has openly questioned the agency’s value.
What they're saying:
"FEMA has been a very big disappointment," Trump said earlier this year. "They cost a tremendous amount of money, very bureaucratic and very slow. I think that problem should be taken care of by the state. That’s what we have states for."
In Hamilton’s place, a new acting director, David Richardson, has taken the helm — and he’s not holding back. Speaking to FEMA staff, Richardson reportedly warned he will "run right over anyone that resists changes."
The change in leadership has Florida lawmakers worried, weeks before storm season.
"I think all Floridians and all Americans should be concerned that we don't have a director of FEMA, that there's indications that FEMA funding will be cut and left up to the states," said State Rep. Lindsay Cross (D-Pinellas). "It’s really concerning that we're not going to have the manpower, the resources."
MORE: Hurricane Preparedness Week: Residents voice concerns as hurricane season approaches
The Trump administration this week announced a new FEMA Review Council, a group of emergency management experts tasked with overhauling what Trump called a "terribly broken system." Among its members: Tampa Mayor Jane Castor.
"I think it’s a great idea, and I am excited that I have been asked to be a part of that," said Castor.
The Source: The information in this story was gathered by FOX 13's Evyn Moon.
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