FEMA chief fired after breaking with Trump administration on eliminating company

The pinnacle of the Federal Emergency Administration Company was fired Thursday morning, three U.S. officers with direct information confirmed to CBS Information — after the chief appeared to publicly break with the Trump administration on whether or not to remove the nation’s catastrophe reduction company. 

Cameron Hamilton, FEMA’s performing administrator, departs the nation’s catastrophe reduction company roughly three weeks earlier than the beginning of the Atlantic hurricane season and as Congress opinions the Trump administration’s proposal to slash FEMA’s price range, nixing $646 million in non-disaster grants in the course of the 2026 fiscal 12 months.

Division of Homeland Safety Senior Advisor Corey Lewandowski and Deputy Homeland Safety Secretary Troy Edgar dismissed Cameron Hamilton throughout an in-person assembly at DHS headquarters, in response to three sources with information of the assembly. The firing got here on the route of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, the sources stated.

A FEMA spokesperson confirmed Hamilton “is now not serving” because the company’s chief. David Richardson, one other DHS official who acted as Assistant Secretary for DHS’ Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Workplace, will now head the company in an performing capability, the spokesperson stated.

When requested concerning the firing Friday, White Home Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt instructed reporters, “my understanding is that this particular person testified saying one thing that was opposite to what the president believes.”

The dismissal got here someday after Hamilton publicly testified that he didn’t help scrapping FEMA, as President Trump and members of his administration have instructed.

“I don’t consider it’s in the very best pursuits of the American individuals to remove the Federal Emergency Administration Company,” Hamilton stated at a Home Appropriations subcommittee listening to on Capitol Hill, Wednesday. 

In a separate listening to a day earlier, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem instructed the identical committee that Mr. Trump believes “FEMA, because it exists at the moment, must be eradicated — empowering states to reply to disasters with federal authorities help.”

Mr. Trump stated days after taking workplace he deliberate to “start the method of essentially reforming and overhauling FEMA, or perhaps eliminating FEMA,” criticizing the company for allegedly responding slowly to pure disasters. 

The president later ordered a evaluate of FEMA, tasking Noem and different administration officers with assessing the company’s efficiency and contemplating “whether or not FEMA can serve its capabilities as a help company, offering supplemental Federal help, to the States somewhat than supplanting State management of catastrophe reduction.”

contributed to this report.