Cameron Hamilton, the recently dismissed acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, defended the agency’s disaster response under the Biden administration while taking subtle jabs at the Trump administration as he exited.
Hamilton was dismissed at the Department of Homeland Security headquarters in Washington, D.C., by Deputy Secretary Troy Edgar and senior adviser Corey Lewandowski, just one day after testifying before a House Appropriations subcommittee. During the hearing, Hamilton contradicted recent statements by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem about potentially eliminating FEMA and shifting funding to state-level emergency management—a move President Trump has publicly considered.
“I do not believe it is in the best interests of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” Hamilton said during his testimony. FEMA confirmed that David Richardson, assistant secretary for DHS’s Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, will now serve as Senior Official Performing the Duties of FEMA Administrator.
Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL, had contemplated resigning earlier as the Trump administration took shape but stayed on at FEMA staff’s urging. His departure comes amid broader moves by the Trump administration to overhaul FEMA, following claims of mismanaged disaster relief funds.
