Acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson resigns

(WASHINGTON) —Acting Federal Emergency Management Agency David Richardson resigned on Monday after six months on the job.

Richardson, who was temporarily installed in May after former acting Administrator Cameron Hamilton was fired by Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem a day after telling Congress the agency should not be disbanded, putting him at odds with President Donald Trump’s suggestions that FEMA be downsized or dissolved.

Richardson was also in charge of the department’s countering Weapons of Mass Destruction office.

In an exclusive statement to ABC News, Richardson said that he stepped up when others didn’t weeks before the start of hurricane season. 

“I agreed to be the acting administrator through hurricane season when others wouldn’t. Hurricane season ends on 1 December.  Since the danger has largely passed, I can now leave for other opportunities,” Richardson said. “Many were asked. One raised his hand and said, ‘I’ll do it.’ I knew hurricane season was three weeks away and time was of the essence. I didn’t hesitate. It was the same in the 2006 during the worst days of Iraq and the streets of Ramadi. Nobody wanted to train and fight alongside the Iraqis. I said, ‘I’ll do it.'”

The Department of Homeland Security confirmed that Richardson resigned as FEMA administrator and said that FEMA Chief of Staff Karen Evans will step into the role on Dec. 1. 

“The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) extend their sincere appreciation to the Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Administrator, David Richardson, for his dedicated service and wish him continued success in his return to the private sector,” a DHS spokesperson said. “Mr. Richardson led FEMA through the 2025 hurricane season, delivering historic funding to North Carolina, Texas, Florida, New Mexico and Alaska, and overseeing a comprehensive review that identified and eliminated serious governmental waste and inefficiency, while refocusing the agency to deliver swift resources to Americans in crisis.”

Richardson has faced criticism during his tenure at the top of the agency.

In a House Transportation Committee hearing following the deadly flooding in Texas in July, Democrats panned Richardson’s and FEMA’s response.

“You’re the leader, but you did not lead, as you are required to by federal law. But worse, you seem uninterested to learn what went wrong and how to respond,” Rep. Greg Stanton, D-Ariz., said. 

Richardson was on vacation with his two sons during the flooding but he testified that he immediately coordinated a response with Texas officials, the White House and others from his truck.

Sources close to Richardson contend that he was available during the disaster. A source said he was on the phone from the moment the floods struck while on vacation and drove back to Washington as soon as he could. 

In June, shortly after hurricane season began at the beginning of the month, Richardson told staff in an all-hands that he was unaware it had started, according to sources familiar with the meeting.

It was unclear if Richardson was joking, but a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson argued he was.

When asked by reporters during a White House press briefing whether Trump was “still comfortable” with Richardson after his remarks, press secretary Karoline Leavitt dismissed concerns and said FEMA is taking hurricane season “seriously, contrary to some of the reporting we have seen based on jokes that were made and leaks from meetings.”

Richardson’s comments followed an internal review indicating FEMA was “not ready” for the 2025 hurricane season in mid-May.

The DHS spokesperson denied FEMA is unprepared, saying “Despite meanspirited attempts to falsely frame a joke as policy, there is no uncertainty about what FEMA will be doing this Hurricane Season.”

“FEMA is laser-focused on disaster response and protecting the American people,” the spokesperson added.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., slammed Richardson, posting on X that he is “unaware of why he hasn’t been fired yet.”

“Trump’s FEMA chief is incompetent,” Sen. Ed Markey, D-Mass., added. “People will die.”

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