Acting Federal Emergency Management Agency chief David Richardson abruptly resigned from his post on Monday, according to people familiar with the situation. His resignation came after months of AWOL, especially during the deadly floods in Texas over the Fourth of July weekend.
FEMA employees said Washington Post that Richardson spent as little time as possible in daily operations meetings and avoided management, even telling his employees that he expected to leave by Thanksgiving.
Richardson became acting head of FEMA after Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem ousted her predecessor, Cameron Hamilton. During his first meeting as the new head of FEMA, Richardson said his employees: “Don’t bother me… because I’ll run you over.”
When the Texas flood hit in July, Richardson was impossible to get to.”for hours and hours,” said one senior official. Richardson claimed to have been in “constant contact” with FEMA officials, but in fact went missing during the disaster response while on vacation with his two sons. At least 130 people died in the floods.
“Staff say Richardson is virtually useless – absent from office, unavailable in a disaster and powerless because Secretary Noem has sidelined him,” New Jersey Democratic Party spokesman Frank Pallone Jr. said in a statement. said in September, calling for Richardson to resign. “This level of bureaucratic incompetence by the Trump administration puts lives at risk when the next natural disaster strikes.”
In November, the Department of Homeland Security silenced Richardson, prohibiting him from giving interviews or responding to media requests.
President Trump has not yet commented on Richardson's resignation.
