On Thursday, the Trump administration forced Cameron Hamilton, Acting President of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, forced his job. The move came one day after Hamilton told legislators that the agency, which the administration prefers prefer to dismantle it, should not be canceled.
“I don’t think it is in the interest of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” Hamilton told members of the House of Representatives Internal Security Committee. President Donald Trump appointed the agency’s head of entrepreneurship – more specifically, the first official in performing the duties of the official – in January. His CV is no longer appears on the Fema website, as is well known, the website.
Hamilton’s statement contrasts directly with one of them a day before his boss, Christie sleep. It leads the Ministry of Internal Security, or the Ministry of National Security, which oversees Fema. to treat The Supervisory Committee in the House of Representatives on TuesdayShe said: “The president has indicated that he wanted to eliminate Fema as it is today.”
Fema or DHS did not explain why Hamilton is no longer in his position.
The tension between Hamilton and Nayyem is rising for weeks. In late March, after The news leaked The Ministry of National Security was considering reducing the size of the Fema, the Ministry suspected of leaking information and He gave him a lying detector testWho wiped it. Politico He was the first to report to be overthrown.
“I think Kam did his best with what he was facing,” said one of the people who left the agency recently and asked not to be identified by Grist. “He got a lot of respect from Fema employees.”
Fema employs more than 20,000 people and its announced mission is to “help people before, during and after disasters.” For many Americans, the agency is the face of the federal government’s response to events such as Hurricane Helen, Los Angeles fires, and other disasters. It also runs the National Flood Insurance Program, which covers millions of American homes.
With more extreme weathering climate feeding, Long for a long time The agency has been strained to keep pace with its states. Hamilton’s departure occurs, as the country is heading to a hurricane season in the Atlantic, starting on June 1, which is It is expected to be especially active.
Both Fema and DHS confirmed that David RichardsonSecretary -General at the Arms Office of the weapons of comprehensive destruction in the Ministry of National Security, will take over Hamilton. Richardson, who had previously worked as a marine in Afghanistan, Iraq and Africa, takes driving at a time when the Fema future remains unclear, and at risk.
Naim has already started dismantling the agency. In early April, I announced this to do so Reduced grant initiatives. The infrastructure and flexible societies of the building, or the BRIC program – include the main agency for climate adaptation program – which was launched during the first period of Trump and helped hundreds of societies throughout the country prepare for the effects of climate change.
The Ministry of National Security also revived the “road on the road” made by the former President Trump in reducing its size, which gave the employees different options to leave voluntarily, such as early retirement, postponed resignation or the acquisition. It is not clear that the number of Fema employees took the offer.
According to what was reported, Hamilton was making other plans to transform the workforce in FEMA significantly, Including sending more employees to this field to respond to disasters. These changes seem not enough.
“When you hit disasters, we are here to help,” says Fema. Anxiety among the agency’s supporters is that when Hamilton is removed, the Trump administration may wipe the track for the broader decline – or ensure that Fema is not at all.
