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David Richardson, the acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, resigned Monday after roughly six months at the helm, ending a short and tumultuous tenure defined by budget battles, internal unrest and criticism of the agency’s response to catastrophic summer flooding in Texas.
Two administration officials confirmed the resignation, which arrives as President Donald Trump continues pressing for deep cuts to FEMA’s budget and has publicly called for the agency to be phased out after the current hurricane season ends Nov. 30.
In a joint statement, FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security — which oversees the agency — expressed “sincere appreciation” for Richardson’s service. DHS said FEMA Chief of Staff Karen Evans will take over as acting administrator on Dec. 1.
An exit tied to hurricane season
Richardson said he agreed to lead FEMA on a temporary basis during what he called a “challenging time,” and that he had always intended to depart when the hurricane season ended.
“I agreed to be the acting administrator through hurricane season when others wouldn’t,” Richardson said. “Hurricane season ends on 1 December. Since the danger has largely passed, I can now leave for other opportunities.”
The White House referred all questions about his departure to DHS.
Texas floods and mounting criticism
Richardson’s leadership drew intense scrutiny in July after historic flooding tore through Texas’ Hill Country, killing more than 130 people — including 27 girls and counselors at Camp Mystic, a Christian summer camp. FEMA officials could not reach Richardson for roughly 24 hours as the crisis unfolded. It later emerged that he had been on vacation for the July 4 weekend.
Richardson, who lacked emergency management experience before taking the job, was appointed in May after the previous acting administrator, Cameron Hamilton, was pushed out following his public disagreement with Trump over plans to dismantle the agency.
Richardson simultaneously served as assistant secretary of DHS’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office throughout his FEMA tenure. He is a former Marine Corps officer.
Internal turmoil and employee backlash
FEMA has faced mounting questions this year over its ability to respond to increasingly frequent and severe weather disasters linked to climate change. Internal tensions escalated in August, when nearly 200 FEMA employees signed an open letter warning that the Trump administration’s approach to disaster response was dangerously inadequate.
The letter criticized Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem’s requirement that all FEMA expenditures over $100,000 receive her office’s approval — a policy employees said slowed the Texas flood response. It also argued that both Richardson and Hamilton lacked the experience and Senate confirmation required for the top FEMA job. At least 21 employees who signed the letter were later placed on administrative leave.
Richardson rejected claims that the spending cap hindered operations. “Anything life-threatening, we didn’t go by the $100,000 cap,” he said.
Mission to ‘shut it down’
In a Monday night phone interview, Richardson said that when he took over, his understanding was that his job was “to shut it down.” But he said FEMA’s response to the Texas floods and severe flooding in western Alaska demonstrated that the agency remains necessary, even if he believes some responsibilities can be shifted to states.
“We want to push it back to the states,” he said, adding that he believes Trump will ultimately seek to restructure — not entirely dismantle — the agency.
Reaction to the resignation
Richardson’s critics welcomed his exit. Rafael Lemaitre, a former FEMA public affairs director who now advises a disaster-preparedness advocacy group, called the appointment “like putting someone who’s never flown a plane in the cockpit during a hurricane.”
Democrats on the House Homeland Security Committee issued a blunt statement on X: “David Richardson was incompetent, inexperienced and had no business running FEMA… Good riddance.”
