Trump's firing of FEMA director unsettles GOP senators
Source: The Hill
05/16/25 6:00 AM ET
Senate Republicans are unsettled by the Trump administrations decision to fire Cameron Hamilton, the acting director of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), for speaking out against Trumps plan to shutter the agency. Hamilton testified to lawmakers on the House Appropriations Committee earlier this month that closing FEMA would not be in the best interest of the American people. The next day, he was escorted out of FEMAs headquarters after losing his job.
The swift retaliation against an administration official over testimony before a congressional panel is jarring to Republican lawmakers, who worry it could chill the willingness of officials to answer questions candidly at future hearings. And the move signals that the president is serious about eliminating FEMA, something that many Republican senators strongly oppose.
Sen. Thom Tillis (R-N.C.), whose home state was hit hard by Hurricane Helene in September, said it was a mistake to fire Hamilton over his testimony. I think so, he said. I think he was giving his honest opinion and in some respects he had an obligation to do that because he was under oath.
Tillis said Hamilton made the right decision by giving lawmakers his candid opinion when asked about the elimination of the high-profile agency. I think Cam was a good, solid director and I regret that he got terminated, he said. Tillis says hes open to making reforms at FEMA, but he argued simply eliminating the agency would hamstring future efforts to respond to hurricanes, wildfires and other disasters. Helene caused nearly $60 billion in damage in North Carolina.
Read more: https://thehill.com/homenews/senate/5302942-senate-republicans-criticize-fema-firing/

BoRaGard
(5,545 posts)
sop
(14,382 posts)they are shifting around in their chairs a little (but not much).

bmichaelh
(811 posts)Hurricane season begins 06-01
walkingman
(9,269 posts)stopping the lunatic. Cowards all.....
Iamscrewed
(312 posts)Pure simple and in the open.
Ponietz
(3,744 posts)Aristus
(70,030 posts)Call us when you get your heads pulled out of your asses...
LuckyLib
(6,985 posts)screaming from the rooftops that FEMA was nowhere to be found. My response? Who did you vote for?
Griefbird
(114 posts)Getting rid of FEMA and requiring each of 50 states to independently duplicate the work of one federal agency is beyond inefficient. To survive disasters, states will have to develop a mutual insurance company to duplicate the national reach of FEMA. All this while NOAA is dismantled and reliable forecasting of major weather events is no longer provided. But don't worry, Uncle Scrooge will be able to deduct his state taxes on his federal income tax calculation. Those tax rates, of course, will be lower because they're no longer paying for services to the rest of us. It might not affect Scrooge much, because he's not paying any taxes now.