WASHINGTON — Acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson has submitted his resignation, according to multiple officials familiar with the matter, after serving in the role for about six months.
Richardson took over as acting head of FEMA in May 2025, succeeding Cameron Hamilton, who was dismissed one day after telling a House Appropriations subcommittee that he did not believe it was in the best interests of the American people to eliminate FEMA.
FEMA staff have said he was difficult to reach during a major flood disaster in Texas earlier this year, when the agency came under scrutiny after catastrophic flash flooding in the Texas Hill Country killed more than 130 people, many of them young girls attending a summer camp.
The Washington Post continues:
Richardson, who spent about six months as the acting head of the nation’s disaster response agency, kept a low profile and was known for frequently being inaccessible, including during the early hours of the flood disaster in Texas over the Fourth of July weekend.
In recent months, current agency employees said Richardson spent limited time in daily operations meetings and shrank away from his role. In one meeting, according to people within FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security, he said he did not expect to be in the position after Thanksgiving.
At the beginning of November, the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, no longer allowed Richardson to do interviews or answer other media requests, according to an official with knowledge of the situation who spoke on the condition of anonymity.
In September, The Post reported that Richardson was unreachable during the critical early hours of the Texas floods. He had been on a weekend trip with his two sons and did not jump into the ongoing disaster response until Sunday evening, nearly two days after the swollen rivers swept through communities — a disaster that ultimately killed at least 130 people.
The Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, will need to appoint a replacement or interim administrator.
This is a breaking news story. Please check back for updates.
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