One day after voicing his disapproval of the Trump administration’s position on the agency’s future, the FEMA Acting Chief was fired, becoming a headline. On Thursday, May 8, 2025, Cameron Hamilton, the acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), was removed from his role. Hamilton had said that eliminating FEMA was not in the best interests of the American people during his testimony before the House Appropriations Committee on Wednesday. His statements ran counter to public statements made by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and President Donald Trump, suggesting that FEMA should be reduced or abolished.

FEMA’s interim chief of staff, Julia Moline, emailed staff members on Thursday to inform them that “Cameron Hamilton is no longer the Senior Official Performing the Duties of Administrator.” According to sources, Hamilton was called to Secretary Noem’s office at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, and he returned soon after to inform FEMA employees that he had been dismissed.

Hamilton Opposed FEMA Elimination During Congressional Testimony

Hamilton urged legislators that FEMA shouldn’t be dissolved when he spoke on Capitol Hill. He gave his testimony hours before Noem’s testimony before the same committee, in which she said that FEMA had “failed” and needed to be abolished or drastically cut. To strengthen local governments and reduce federal cooperation, Trump sought to move emergency response toward state and local authority, according to Noem, who clarified the president’s stance.

Trump has long criticized FEMA and called for a reorganization to eliminate the federal agency’s customary coordinating function and send disaster relief money straight to the states. Hamilton was removed because it seemed that his resistance to that restructuring directly conflicted with the president’s goals.

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David Richardson Named Interim Head Ahead of Hurricane Season

The change in leadership occurs only a few weeks before June 1, when hurricane season officially begins. The temporary head of FEMA is David Richardson, who most recently served as assistant secretary for the Weapons of Mass Destruction Office at the Department of Homeland Security.

FEMA Acting Chief fired headlines continued as Richardson was announced as the “Senior Official Performing the Duties of the FEMA Administrator,” according to an administration insider who spoke with ABC News. The internal agency communication shared on Thursday reaffirmed this information. Although a DHS spokeswoman verified Richardson’s appointment, Hamilton’s departure was not mentioned.

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