Richardson's tenure will last through the end of the Atlantic hurricane season. (Credit: Mike Mareen/Adobe Stock)
Acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson has resigned after spending just six months at the head of the emergency response agency. His resignation letter, submitted on November 17, gave two weeks' notice for his departure.
Richardson has been on the receiving end of criticism during his short tenure for being unreachable in the wake of disasters. The Washington Post reports that current agency employees said Richardson “shrank away from the role,” and spent little time involved in FEMA’s daily operations.
These reports of Richardson’s time at the helm stand in stark contrast to the attitude he showed when assuming the role earlier this year. In his first all-hands meeting with FEMA in May, Richardson warned personnel not to stand in the way of the president's agenda.
“Obfuscation, delay, undermining," Richardson said in the speech, according to a recording obtained by CBS News. "If you're one of those 20% of the people and you think those tactics and techniques are going to help you, they will not, because I will run right over you. I will achieve the president's intent."
When speaking about his role as “acting” administrator in the same meeting, Richardson said, “All I need is the authority from the president to put me in here as some degree of acting and I will make sure that his intent gets completed. I don't stop at yield signs… I, and I alone in FEMA, speak for FEMA.”
The future of FEMA as a whole is at a crossroads. In June, President Donald Trump expressed his desire to eliminate the operation in November, at the end of the Atlantic hurricane season. Around 2,000 full-time FEMA staff — about a third of its total workforce — have reportedly left since Trump took office in January.
According to a statement from Department of Homeland Security Assistant Secretary for Public Affairs Tricia McLaughlin, FEMA’s current Chief of Staff, Karen Evans, will step into Richardson’s role at the beginning of December.
McLaughlin said, “We anticipate the forthcoming release of the FEMA Review Council’s final report, 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.”
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