David Richardson, the acting leader of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, reportedly resigned on Monday, according to individuals familiar with the matter.
His departure marks yet another high-level exit from an agency already grappling with internal upheaval, questions of competence, and a national debate over the future of federal disaster management.
Richardson’s resignation comes just months after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem appointed him to the role in early May, following the removal of his predecessor, Cameron Hamilton.
The agency’s instability has only deepened since then. MaryAnn Tierney, FEMA’s acting second-in-command, resigned later the same month, leaving the top ranks of the nation’s emergency response apparatus in a state of flux.
FEMA declined to comment on Richardson’s departure.
Richardson arrived at the job with a distinguished Marine Corps background, having served as a ground combat officer, and later as a senior official at the Department of Homeland Security. But he also arrived without direct experience in emergency management, a gap that quickly drew criticism from career officials. In private meetings, agency personnel were reportedly struck by his unfamiliarity with the breadth of FEMA’s responsibilities.
His exit lands amid broader efforts by the Trump administration to rethink—and potentially dismantle—FEMA as it currently exists. President Trump has openly advocated terminating the agency, part of a push to overhaul federal emergency and disaster-relief programs.
The administration’s approach has sparked concern among lawmakers and created confusion within FEMA itself, as employees work to understand how to plan for major disasters while the future of their agency remains in question.
This story is developing…
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