David Richardson resigned Monday as acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), bringing an end to a short and turbulent tenure. The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) confirmed his departure, with five current and former homeland security officials saying Richardson submitted his resignation Monday morning, reported CBS News.
ALSO READ: FEMA Chief David Richardson resigns amid criticism and Trump’s plan to restructure agency
FEMA is already in troubled waters as the Trump administration has signaled interest in dismantling the organization. FEMA chief of staff Karen Evans will take over Richardson's role starting December 1, according to the DHS spokesperson. In a statement shared by DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin, the department thanked Richardson for his dedicated service and wished him well as he returns to the private sector.
“We anticipate the forthcoming release of the FEMA Review Council’s final report, which will inform this administration’s ongoing efforts to fundamentally restructure FEMA, transforming it from its current form into a streamlined, mission-focused disaster-response force,” McLaughlin said.
Richardson, who served roughly six months as acting head of the nation’s disaster response agency, may have expressed interest in returning to the private sector, but his sudden departure appears tied to other factors. Richardson’s resignation comes amid growing criticism of FEMA’s handling of the catastrophic Central Texas floods in July, which killed more than 130 people, including 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic on the Guadalupe River. Throughout his tenure, he kept a notably low profile and was frequently inaccessible - including during the early hours of the devastating Texas floods over the fourth of July weekend.
During his brief tenure, Richardson was often absent and rarely engaged with staff, according to nearly 30 current and former FEMA officials who spoke earlier this year, many anonymously out of fear of retaliation, The Washington Post reported. Internal messages and emails reviewed by The Post supported claims that he was difficult to reach, particularly on evenings and weekends.
In September, The Post reported that Richardson was unreachable during the crucial early hours of the Texas floods, as he was on a weekend trip with his sons and did not join the response effort until Sunday evening - almost two days after flooding began, ultimately killing at least 130 people.
According to The Post, compounding the problem, his network password had expired on July 3, leaving him without email access until the evening of July 6. Throughout the holiday weekend, FEMA officials tried to contact him for approvals needed under DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s strict budget policy. His absence contributed to delays in deploying some of the agency’s 28 specialized search-and-rescue teams to Texas.
Richardson, a former Marine Corps artillery officer who previously led the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) office, assumed the acting FEMA role in May. He replaced Cameron Hamilton, whom Noem removed after he publicly challenged the administration’s stated goal of dismantling FEMA in its current form.
From the start, Richardson’s leadership style drew scrutiny. During his first all-hands meeting, he warned staff, “Don’t get in my way... I will run right over you,” and asserted, “I, and I alone, speak for FEMA.”
Since Trump took office, as reported by The Post, FEMA has reportedly lost as much as a quarter of its workforce. In August, dozens of employees publicly criticized the agency’s leadership, saying it had been handed to officials without the experience or authority needed to oversee its mission. They also warned that new policies - especially Noem’s stringent spending rules requiring her approval for any expense over $100,000 - had severely undermined FEMA’s ability to respond to emergencies and support national security operations.
Richardson’s resignation comes just as the FEMA Review Council is set to deliver a major report to the president, recommending how the agency should be reshaped. Commissioned by the White House, the review evaluates FEMA’s performance during the Biden administration and will be formally submitted in November. According to CBS News, Trump has repeatedly argued that FEMA 'should be eliminated as it exists', while Noem has directed the council not only to review the agency but to fundamentally 'reimagine' it.
ALSO READ: FEMA Chief David Richardson resigns amid criticism and Trump’s plan to restructure agency
FEMA is already in troubled waters as the Trump administration has signaled interest in dismantling the organization. FEMA chief of staff Karen Evans will take over Richardson's role starting December 1, according to the DHS spokesperson. In a statement shared by DHS assistant secretary for public affairs Tricia McLaughlin, the department thanked Richardson for his dedicated service and wished him well as he returns to the private sector.
“We anticipate the forthcoming release of the FEMA Review Council’s final report, which will inform this administration’s ongoing efforts to fundamentally restructure FEMA, transforming it from its current form into a streamlined, mission-focused disaster-response force,” McLaughlin said.
REAL REASON BEHIND DAVID RICHARDSON'S OUSTER FROM FEMA
Richardson, who served roughly six months as acting head of the nation’s disaster response agency, may have expressed interest in returning to the private sector, but his sudden departure appears tied to other factors. Richardson’s resignation comes amid growing criticism of FEMA’s handling of the catastrophic Central Texas floods in July, which killed more than 130 people, including 27 campers and counselors at Camp Mystic on the Guadalupe River. Throughout his tenure, he kept a notably low profile and was frequently inaccessible - including during the early hours of the devastating Texas floods over the fourth of July weekend.
During his brief tenure, Richardson was often absent and rarely engaged with staff, according to nearly 30 current and former FEMA officials who spoke earlier this year, many anonymously out of fear of retaliation, The Washington Post reported. Internal messages and emails reviewed by The Post supported claims that he was difficult to reach, particularly on evenings and weekends.
In September, The Post reported that Richardson was unreachable during the crucial early hours of the Texas floods, as he was on a weekend trip with his sons and did not join the response effort until Sunday evening - almost two days after flooding began, ultimately killing at least 130 people.
According to The Post, compounding the problem, his network password had expired on July 3, leaving him without email access until the evening of July 6. Throughout the holiday weekend, FEMA officials tried to contact him for approvals needed under DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s strict budget policy. His absence contributed to delays in deploying some of the agency’s 28 specialized search-and-rescue teams to Texas.
'I AND I ALONE SPEAK FOR FEMA': DAVID RICHARDSON
Richardson, a former Marine Corps artillery officer who previously led the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) office, assumed the acting FEMA role in May. He replaced Cameron Hamilton, whom Noem removed after he publicly challenged the administration’s stated goal of dismantling FEMA in its current form.
From the start, Richardson’s leadership style drew scrutiny. During his first all-hands meeting, he warned staff, “Don’t get in my way... I will run right over you,” and asserted, “I, and I alone, speak for FEMA.”
FEMA FACES UNCERTAIN FUTURE?
Since Trump took office, as reported by The Post, FEMA has reportedly lost as much as a quarter of its workforce. In August, dozens of employees publicly criticized the agency’s leadership, saying it had been handed to officials without the experience or authority needed to oversee its mission. They also warned that new policies - especially Noem’s stringent spending rules requiring her approval for any expense over $100,000 - had severely undermined FEMA’s ability to respond to emergencies and support national security operations.
Richardson’s resignation comes just as the FEMA Review Council is set to deliver a major report to the president, recommending how the agency should be reshaped. Commissioned by the White House, the review evaluates FEMA’s performance during the Biden administration and will be formally submitted in November. According to CBS News, Trump has repeatedly argued that FEMA 'should be eliminated as it exists', while Noem has directed the council not only to review the agency but to fundamentally 'reimagine' it.
