FEMA head ousted one day after saying eliminating agency not in public's interest
Source: The Hill
05/08/25 2:16 PM ET
The acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was fired Thursday, one day after telling lawmakers he did not think it was in the publics interest to eliminate the agency.
A FEMA spokesperson confirmed Cameron Hamilton was no longer serving as acting administrator. That role is now being filled by David Richardson, who was appointed in January as assistant secretary for the Department of Homeland Securitys Counter Weapons of Mass Destruction Office. Politico first reported on Hamiltons firing.
Hamilton testified on Capitol Hill on Wednesday, where he was asked about the push from the Trump administration to get rid of FEMA and largely turn over disaster response to the states. I do not believe it is in the best interests of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Hamilton told lawmakers.
He added that he was not in a position to make such a decision and that it should be between the White House and Congress to determine what was the most logical use of federal funding for emergency response. Hamiltons ouster also comes just weeks before the start of the Atlantic hurricane season.
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/administration/5290399-fema-administrator-fired/
REFERENCE - https://www.democraticunderground.com/10143455199

Ray Bruns
(5,236 posts)hadEnuf
(3,215 posts)It's all Trump all the time.
question everything
(50,337 posts)The Madcap
(1,182 posts)When the inevitable Cat 5 approaches...
You get what you voted for.
Cha
(311,254 posts)for the People!
LetMyPeopleVote
(163,804 posts)One day after acting FEMA chief Cameron Hamilton defended the agencys existence to Congress, he was kicked out of his job.
It's obviously an insanely busy day, but the firing of the Trump-appointed FEMA chief â a conservative Republican and military vet â is among the more outlandish things to happen in Trump World today. www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddo...
— Steve Benen (@stevebenen.com) 2025-05-08T19:24:05.442Z
Link to tweet
https://www.msnbc.com/rachel-maddow-show/maddowblog/fema-chief-fired-cameron-hamilton-trump-rcna205676
And yet, Hamilton has been fired anyway. Politico reported:
The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency was fired Thursday morning, according to two people with direct knowledge of the situation. Cameron Hamilton, FEMAs acting administrator, has told people that he was terminated, leaving the nations disaster agency without a top official three weeks before the start of the Atlantic hurricane season and as Congress scrutinizes FEMAs proposed budget for fiscal 2026.
A Homeland Security spokesperson confirmed Hamiltons departure to NBC News.
The timing of the developments is striking: Just one day before his ouster, Hamilton testified before a House Appropriations Committee panel and defended FEMAs existence, telling lawmakers, I do not believe it is in the best interests of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency......
Oddly enough, the morning after the congressional hearing, Republican Rep. Mark Green of Tennessee, who chairs the House Homeland Security Committee, wrote online that Hamiltons leadership at FEMA has been nothing short of amazing. Green added, Since taking the helm at FEMA, thousands of Americans have seen FEMAs promises fulfilled, from housing to disaster relief. President Trump made the right choice!
Right around the time the congressman published that message, Hamilton was kicked out of FEMA.
For what its worth, a DHS spokesperson told NBC News that Hamiltons ouster was unrelated to his testimony. Or put another way, the official line is that the firing of the acting FEMA director just one day after he took a public position that Trump didnt like is a coincidence.
delisen
(6,999 posts)Off with their heads!
Alice was fortunate that she was only dreaming. We are not so fortunate.