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What tin Trump realistically bash astir FEMA?
The caput of the Federal Emergency Management Agency was fired Thursday morning, 3 U.S. officials with nonstop cognition confirmed to CBS News — aft the person appeared to publically interruption with the Trump medication connected whether to destruct the nation's catastrophe alleviation agency.
Cameron Hamilton, FEMA's acting administrator, departs the nation's catastrophe alleviation bureau astir 3 weeks earlier the commencement of the Atlantic hurricane play and arsenic Congress reviews the Trump administration's proposal to slash FEMA's budget, nixing $646 cardinal successful non-disaster grants during the 2026 fiscal year.
Department of Homeland Security Senior Advisor Corey Lewandowski and Deputy Homeland Security Secretary Troy Edgar dismissed Cameron Hamilton during an in-person gathering astatine DHS headquarters, according to 3 sources with cognition of the meeting. The firing came astatine the absorption of DHS Secretary Kristi Noem, the sources said.
A FEMA spokesperson confirmed Hamilton "is nary longer serving" arsenic the agency's leader. David Richardson, different DHS authoritative who acted arsenic Assistant Secretary for DHS' Countering Weapons of Mass Destruction Office, volition present caput the bureau successful an acting capacity, the spokesperson said.
The dismissal came 1 time aft Hamilton publically testified that helium did not enactment scrapping FEMA, arsenic President Trump and members of his medication person suggested.
"I bash not judge it is successful the champion interests of the American radical to destruct the Federal Emergency Management Agency," Hamilton said astatine a House Appropriations subcommittee proceeding connected Capitol Hill, Wednesday.
In a abstracted proceeding a time earlier, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem told the aforesaid committee that Mr. Trump believes "FEMA, arsenic it exists today, should beryllium eliminated — empowering states to respond to disasters with national authorities support."
Mr. Trump said days aft taking office helium planned to "begin the process of fundamentally reforming and overhauling FEMA, oregon possibly getting escaped of FEMA," criticizing the bureau for allegedly responding dilatory to earthy disasters.
The president aboriginal ordered a review of FEMA, tasking Noem and different medication officials with assessing the agency's show and considering "whether FEMA tin service its functions arsenic a enactment agency, providing supplemental Federal assistance, to the States alternatively than supplanting State power of catastrophe relief."
Michael Kaplan contributed to this report.
Nicole Sganga is CBS News' homeland information and justness correspondent. She is based successful Washington, D.C. and reports for each shows and platforms.
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