David Richardson resigned as the acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on Monday after serving as the acting administrator for just six months, The Washington Post first reported.
Richardson underwent severe criticism for being frequently inaccessible as devastating floods swept through Texas over the Fourth of July weekend. The former Marine Corps artillery officer had been shrinking away from his role at FEMA over the last few months and reportedly said he was not expecting to remain in the role past Thanksgiving.
Richardson was overseeing the Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction (CWMD) office before he took over for Cameron Hamilton in May, who was ousted by Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for publicly refuting the administration’s goal to eliminate FEMA.
Noem has since said the administration’s desire is to remake the agency rather than dismantle it entirely.
Richardson’s acting role at FEMA allowed him to maintain his job overseeing CWMD. It is unclear if he will retain that position after exiting FEMA.
Richardson was on a weekend trip with his two sons when the flooding disaster first struck Texas. He did not join the ongoing disaster response until Sunday evening — nearly two days later — after communities had been wrecked and nearly 130 people had died. His delayed response was one factor that impacted the agency’s ability to launch some of the 28 search and rescue crews to Texas.
FEMA’s disaster response has been an issue in the past, as well. Republican North Carolina Sens. Ted Budd and Thom Tillis have repeatedly requested relief funds for communities in the Tar Heel State that were impacted by Hurricane Helene in September 2024. The push for more funding has stretched into 2025, with Budd withholding his vote to confirm the DHS General Counsel nominee, James Percival, until the funds were received by Western North Carolina.
“I am grateful to Secretary Noem for approving $155 million in public assistance funding to reimburse Western North Carolina communities following Hurricane Helene,” Sen. Budd said in early November. “I remain very willing to use every lever of power I have as a U.S. Senator to ensure Western North Carolina is made whole and that federal funds are approved and disbursed on a rolling basis into the future.”
FEMA did not immediately respond to the DCNF’s request for comment.
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