David Richardson resigned as acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency on Monday, about six months after he was tapped to replace the chief whom Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ousted.
Richardson handed in his resignation to the Department of Homeland Security before his expected ousting, according to news reports. The Washington Post reported that he was not planning on staying long after Thanksgiving.
“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 told the Washington Examiner.
“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,” the spokesperson added.
FEMA chief of staff Karen Evans will assume Richardson’s role, starting Dec. 1.
In May, Richardson succeeded Cameron Hamilton as acting leader of the agency responsible for overseeing federal disaster response and recovery efforts.
His short tenure was controversial because he was reportedly difficult to reach during the early hours of the deadly central Texas floods that killed at least 135 people over the July 4 weekend.
While facing questions from Congress, Richardson defended FEMA’s performance against criticism that the agency responded slowly and failed to coordinate with state and local authorities in the wake of the Texas floods.
“I can’t see anything that we did wrong, and I think the president and [Noem] acknowledge that, and so does [Gov. Greg Abbott (R-TX)], by saying how well we did,” he said, later calling FEMA’s response a “model” example for “how disasters should be handled.”
The embattled official also faced scrutiny after reportedly telling FEMA staff he was previously unaware that the United States has a hurricane season. In response, the DHS said the statement was a joke. Lawmakers were unhappy at the time.
“Suffice to say, disaster response is no joke,” Rep. Bennie Thompson (D-MS), who oversees FEMA as ranking member of the House Homeland Security Committee, told Reuters in early June as hurricane season started. “If you don’t know what or when hurricane season is, you’re not qualified to run FEMA. Get someone knowledgeable in there.”
Richardson’s resignation comes right before hurricane season ends on Nov. 30.
OFFICER INJURED IN VAN ATTACK DURING ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION ENFORCEMENT OPERATION IN CHARLOTTE
FEMA was previously thought to be disbanded in the early days of the second Trump administration. Under Noem’s leadership, the DHS is trying to reorganize the agency to make it more effective.
“We anticipate the forthcoming release of the FEMA Review Council’s final report,” the DHS spokesperson said, “which will inform this Administration’s ongoing efforts to fundamentally restructure FEMA, transforming it from its current form into a streamlined, mission-focused disaster-response force.”
