CAC’S Alt on FEMA Acting Chief Administrator Resigning
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: November 17, 2025
CONTACT: Katie Valentine | kvalentine@cacampaign.org
CAC’S Alt on FEMA Acting Chief Administrator Resigning
WASHINGTON–The Department of Homeland Security confirmed Monday that David Richardson, the acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), has resigned from his post. Richardson served as FEMA’s "Senior Official Performing the Duties" of administrator for nearly 7 months, having taken over the role after his predecessor, acting chief Cameron Hamilton, was fired by the Trump administration after saying that the administration’s priority of eliminating FEMA was “not in the ‘best interest’ of Americans." Richardson, who had no previous experience in disaster recovery, has drawn criticism for his leadership of the agency – for his comments claiming he didn’t know the U.S. had a hurricane season and most notably for being on vacation, and difficult to reach, during the catastrophic flooding along the Guadalupe River that killed more than 130 people, including 25 children, in Texas in July. The following is a statement from Margie Alt, CAC Campaign Director:
“As climate change fuels increasingly deadly, destructive, and costly extreme weather, having an experienced, effective head of FEMA is more critical than ever. David Richardson, who has zero experience in disaster recovery and who was MIA during some of the most deadly and devastating climate-change-worsened flooding Texas has ever seen, did not meet the bar.
"Since Day One, Trump and his allies have waged dangerous, irresponsible attacks on an agency devoted to helping our communities prepare for and recover from climate disasters. Partisan politics have no place when people are facing an impending extreme weather event, or trying to recover from one. Yet the Trump administration has repeatedly put partisanship over people, relying on incompetent cronies like David Richardson in critical positions on whom lives literally depend.
With more and more deadly extreme weather likely coming our way due to the Trump administration’s failure to address the climate crisis, it’s high time for the president to treat FEMA like the lifesaving infrastructure agency it is, and appoint an experienced, permanent administrator capable of handling the job.”
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About the Climate Action Campaign
Climate Action Campaign (CAC) is a vibrant coalition driving ambitious, durable, equitable federal action to tackle the climate crisis. By cutting carbon pollution and accelerating the transition to clean energy, we will improve public health and create a more resilient economy and a more sustainable future for all.
