Cameron Hamilton, the acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has been fired from his post, a Department of Homeland Security (DHS) spokesperson confirmed Thursday.
The dismissal came just one day after Hamilton testified before Congress, stating his opposition to dismantling the agency – a move advocated by President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem.
Multiple sources familiar with the matter reported to CNN that Hamilton, an appointee of President Trump, was escorted out of FEMA’s headquarters on Thursday.
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“It’s at the discretion of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to have the personnel she prefers,” DHS spokesperson Tricia McLaughlin told CNN. McLaughlin confirmed to CNN that DHS official David Richardson will immediately take over as acting administrator.
The dismissal’s timing is notable: It occurred directly after Hamilton’s appearance before the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday.
During his testimony, Hamilton defended FEMA’s existence. “As the senior advisor to the President on disasters and emergency management, and to the Secretary of Homeland Security, I do not believe it is in the best interest of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” he told lawmakers.
Hamilton added, “Having said that, I am not in a position to make decisions and impact outcomes on whether or not a determination as consequential as that should be made. That is a conversation that should be had between the President of the United States and this governing body.”
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This stance directly contradicted repeated calls from both President Trump and Secretary Noem, whose department oversees FEMA, to “eliminate” the agency. On Tuesday, Secretary Noem reiterated this position to the same House committee, stating, “President Trump has been very clear since the beginning that he believes that FEMA and its response in many, many circumstances has failed the American people, and that FEMA, as it exists today, should be eliminated in empowering states to respond to disasters with federal government support.”
In his testimony, Hamilton had praised FEMA’s personnel, calling them “one of the greatest workforces in the entire federal government.” He also outlined his vision for reforming the agency by cutting bureaucratic red tape and refocusing its budget on its primary mission: assisting survivors of major natural disasters, while shifting responsibility for smaller events to state authorities.
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“The (FEMA) workforce is tremendous and amazing, and they do a lot of great work, but there are also systems and processes that are completely antiquated and have to be improved,” Hamilton said.
The Trump administration has frequently characterized FEMA as partisan, inefficient, and superfluous, and has alleged that the agency employs “woke” ideologies in its allocation of funds.
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