This just in: the acting administrator of FEMA David Richardson is stepping down. JUST IN: The acting administrator of FEMA resigns after roughly six months leading the agency, two administration officials confirm to NBC News. https://t.co/buPk7lBwxM — NBC News (@NBCNews) November 17, 2025 JUST IN: Acting head of FEMA David Richardson RESIGNS pic.twitter.com/AwpF4VlJLu — Eric Daugherty (@EricLDaugh) November 17, 2025 Richardson had been leading the agency for around six months. He was appointed to the role following President Trump’s first acting chief Cameron Hamilton being ousted by DHS Secretary Kristi Noem. Now, Richardson has announced that he will be leaving the agency and returning to the private sector. The New York Post reported: Richardson, a former Marine Corps officer, is the second FEMA head to leave or be fired since May. He departs amid criticism that he kept a low profile during deadly Texas floods in July that killed 130 people and baffled staff in June when he said he was unaware the country had a hurricane season. The Trump administration official familiar with Richardson’s departure, which was first reported by the Washington Post, gave no reasons for the FEMA chief stepping down. It was not immediately clear who Richardson’s successor will be. Richardson’s predecessor was fired in May, after pushing back against Trump administration efforts to dismantle the agency. President Donald Trump has said he wants to greatly reduce the size of FEMA — the federal agency responsible for preparing for and responding to natural disasters — saying state governments can handle many of its functions. Reportedly, the Trump administration was already planning to oust Richardson before his resignation. JUST IN: David Richardson, FEMA’s acting chief amid public controversies and internal frustrations, will resign after hurricane season, submitting a two-week notice letter Monday to the Department of Homeland Security. Plans to remove him from the role were already underway at… pic.twitter.com/OI2P1Qa1jN — Melissa Hallman (@dotconnectinga) November 17, 2025 JUST IN: David Richardson, FEMA’s acting chief amid public controversies and internal frustrations, will resign after hurricane season, submitting a two-week notice letter Monday to the Department of Homeland Security. Plans to remove him from the role were already underway at the agency, three sources told CNN. Basically, this guy was facing being fired due to incompetence. He faced a lot of controversy for being nowhere to be seen during the Texas floods this summer. Later, it turned out that he was too busy vacationing during the deadly flooding event. NBC News reported: Richardson’s short time as head of FEMA came during a turbulent chapter for the agency. President Donald Trump’s administration has proposed major cuts to its budget, and Trump has publicly called for the agency to be eliminated after this year’s hurricane season winds down at the end of the month. During Richardson’s time as FEMA chief, he was heavily criticized for his slow response to the catastrophic floods that devastated Texas’ Hill Country in July. Richardson could not be reached for 24 hours after raging floodwaters killed more than 130 people in the state on July 4, including 27 girls and counselors at Camp Mystic, a Christian youth summer camp. It was later revealed that Richardson, who did not have emergency management experience before he became acting head of FEMA, had been on vacation for the holiday weekend. Good riddance! Why did it take him this long to call it quits?