Cameron Hamilton, the acting administrator of the federal emergency management agency, says he has no authority to investigate the agency’s role in the fight against FEMA
The acting administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Cameron Hamilton, has been replaced, according to a statement from the agency. At a time when the FEMA is in turmoil, the move comes after President Trump made it clear that he would like to eliminate the agency.
The abrupt change came the day after Cameron Hamilton, a former Navy SEAL who held the job for the last few months, testified on Capitol Hill that he did not agree with proposals to dismantle an organization that helps plan for natural disasters and distributes financial assistance.
FEMA should be eliminated because it has failed the American people and President Donald Trump believes that, according to the Department of Homeland Security Secretary.
David Richardson is a former Marine Corps officer who spent time in Afghanistan, Iraq and Africa. He doesn’t seem to have any experience in managing disasters. The Department of Homeland Security has an assistant Secretary for Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction.
According to the Homeland Security, last month, the president created a review council meant to organize and streamline the nation’s emergency management and disaster response system.
During Hamilton’s appearance before a House Appropriations subcommittee Wednesday, he shared concerns about how FEMA assistance is administered. He also said the agency had “evolved into an overextended federal bureaucracy, attempting to manage every type of emergency no matter how minor.”
At Wednesday’s hearing, Hamilton was asked the question “Eliminate FEMA”, which was then asked by Democratic congresswoman Rosa DeLauro.
I don’t have the ability to make decisions or impact outcomes on if or not a determination should be made. That should be a conversation between the president of the United States and the governing body.
“The Trump administration must explain why he has been removed from this position,” said DeLauro. Integrity and morality are not something that may cost you your job.
Current Status of the FEMA Agency in the Light of Recent Cuts and Changes in the Emergency Management Act of the U.S. Department of Interior
The agency is entering its most demanding time of year, with the Atlantic hurricane season officially beginning in three weeks and summer wildfire season on its way
More than 200 FEMA employees were fired by the Trump Administration in February and hundreds more have indicated they’re planning on leaving the agency by accepting deferred resignation offers. Disaster experts say that could cause problems for FEMA this summer, when the agency depends on its staff to respond to disasters.
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Many states say they currently don’t have the staff or resources to take on more disaster response. Thousands of employees are required to find survivors, set up shelters, and process requests for disaster assistance after a major disaster. The country is also seeing an increasing number of disasters that cause more than $1 billion in damage, as storms, hurricanes and wildfires get more intense as the climate gets hotter.