Cameron Hamilton, the recently terminated chief of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, was let go suddenly this week for undercutting President Donald Trump while testifying before Congress, according to the White House.
White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters during a press briefing Friday afternoon that comments Hamilton made while on Capitol Hill Wednesday cost him his job.
“My understanding is that this individual testified saying something that was contrary to what the president believes and the goals of this administration with regards to FEMA policy,” Leavitt said. “And so, of course, we want to make sure that people in every position are advancing the administration’s goals.”
Leavitt referred the press to the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, for additional information. The Washington Examiner contacted the DHS for additional comment.
“We leave it up to our great Cabinet secretaries when it comes to personnel matters,” said Leavitt.
Hamilton was fired less than one day after he told House lawmakers on the Appropriations Committee for Homeland Security that he did not believe the agency should be abolished. The remark marked a break from Trump, who has previously called for the agency’s dismantling.
During the hearing, Rep. Rosa DeLauro (D-CT) asked Hamilton whether the Trump administration planned to eliminate FEMA and whether he believed it ought to be dismantled.
Hamilton responded that FEMA was necessary and could not be replaced by state efforts.
“As the senior adviser to the president on disasters and emergency management and to the secretary of Homeland Security, I do not believe it is in the best interest of the American people to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” Hamilton said. “Having said that, I am not in a position to make decisions and impact outcomes.”
Hamilton previewed changes he would make to the agency, including having local and state governments lead disaster response efforts, using innovative methods to reach survivors, and enhancing FEMA’s internal operational readiness.
“Red tape, bureaucratic inertia, and top-down micro management have turned this disaster recovery into slow, costly, and frustrating processes,” Hamilton said. “It was for this very reason I was hired to refocus this organization in order to better serve the American people under President Trump’s mandate.”
The comments broke with Trump’s staunch opposition to FEMA. During a Jan. 24 trip to see damage in North Carolina from Hurricane Helene, Trump told reporters that he would soon “begin the process of reforming FEMA or getting rid of FEMA.”
“I think we’re going to recommend that FEMA go away,” Trump said. “I’d like to see the states take care of disasters.”
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Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) railed against Hamilton’s firing in a post to X, saying his ousting from the agency was a “loss for America.”
“I know @CameronVA and he is a great American, a veteran, and a friend. He was serving his country AGAIN – ably and honorably – including advocating for FEMA reform that would allow managing through the hurricane season,” Roy wrote. “This is a loss for America.”
