David Richardson has resigned as acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, according to three people briefed on the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to comment publicly.
The move injects even greater uncertainty into the Trump administration’s plans for FEMA, which President Trump has suggested eliminating or overhauling, with an eye toward shifting more responsibility for disaster response to the states. The administration is expected to release a report in the coming weeks detailing its plans to reshape FEMA’s role in disasters across the country.
Mr. Richardson’s resignation was first reported by The Washington Post. Representatives for FEMA and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security, did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
Mr. Richardson, who served in the Marines, was named to the role of acting FEMA administrator in May, replacing Cameron Hamilton, who was pushed out a day after telling members of Congress that FEMA was vital to communities “in their greatest times of need” and should not be eliminated.
Mr. Richardson lacked a background in emergency management, which is a legal requirement for the FEMA administrator. When he was tapped for FEMA, Mr. Richardson was the assistant secretary at the Homeland Security Department’s office for countering weapons of mass destruction. Mr. Richardson maintained both jobs.
After Mr. Richardson joined FEMA, some of his employees expressed concern about his lack of experience. He told employees in June that he did not know the United States had a hurricane season — a comment that unnerved FEMA employees who heard it. The agency later said Mr. Richardson was joking.
On his first full day as acting administrator, Mr. Richardson told the agency’s employees that if any of them tried to obstruct his agenda, “I will run right over you.”
The future of FEMA is unclear. In June, President Trump said he wanted to eliminate FEMA in November after the hurricane season ended and move emergency management efforts “back to the state level.”
After deadly Texas floods in July, when many Americans were focused on the rescue efforts, the administration’s rhetoric softened and officials spoke instead of reforming the agency.
Still, more than 2,000 employees have left FEMA since Mr. Trump took office, accounting for about one-third of the agency’s permanent work force. Those who resigned included some of the agency’s most accomplished leaders.
It has been a relatively mild hurricane season, with the most destructive storms failing to make landfall in the United States.
Scott Dance is a Times reporter who covers how climate change and extreme weather are transforming society.
The post Acting FEMA Administrator Is Out, Injecting Uncertainty at Agency in Limbo appeared first on New York Times.
