News|Donald TrumpActing FEMA head David Richardson steps down after troubled tenureRichardson is the second interim official US President Donald Trump has appointed to lead FEMA since the start of his second term.
David Richardson, the acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is stepping down, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
David Richardson, the acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is stepping down, according to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).
Monday’s announcement ends a troubled tenure. It comes just six months after Richardson took the job and while the Atlantic hurricane season is still under way.
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A DHS spokesperson gave no reasons for why the FEMA chief was departing. The Washington Post was the first to report that Richardson was leaving.
The DHS spokesperson said in a statement that FEMA chief of staff Karen Evans will replace Richardson, and that FEMA and DHS appreciate Richardson’s service.
Richardson’s predecessor, Cameron Hamilton, was fired in May, after pushing back against efforts under President Donald Trump to dismantle the agency .
It comes just six months after Richardson took the job and while the Atlantic hurricane season is still under way.
President Trump has said he wants to greatly reduce the size of FEMA — the federal agency responsible for preparing for and responding to natural disasters — saying state governments can handle many of its functions.
FEMA plays a central role in the US response to major disasters, including hurricanes. The Atlantic hurricane season is due to end this month.
Richardson kept a low public profile compared with FEMA leaders under previous presidents, appearing rarely in public. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem has served as the face of the administration’s response to natural disasters during Trump’s second term.
Advertisement Richardson’s abrupt departure is an ignominious end for an official who told staff when he first arrived in May that he would “run right over” anyone who resists changes and that all decisions must now go through him.
“I, and I alone in FEMA, speak for FEMA,” he said at the time.
FEMA has lost about 2,500 employees since January through buyouts, firings and other incentives for staff to quit, reducing its overall size to about 23,350, according to a September Government Accountability Office report.
The cuts are part of Trump’s broader push to cut the cost and size of the federal civilian workforce.
Based on reporting by Al Jazeera.