logo
FEMA senior officials exit en masse as Trump targets agency

FEMA senior officials exit en masse as Trump targets agency

Yahoo22-05-2025

By Ted Hesson and Nathan Layne
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency announced the departure of 16 senior executives on Wednesday, a significant shakeup of its leadership ranks less than two weeks before the start of what is expected to be a busy hurricane season.
Those leaving include MaryAnn Tierney, a 26-year emergency management veteran who until May 9 had been the agency's acting No. 2, as well as key people in finance and disaster response, according to internal emails seen by Reuters.
The agency, which coordinates the federal response to natural disasters, has been roiled by the loss of hundreds of staff and low morale since finding itself targeted by President Donald Trump.
Trump wants FEMA to be shrunk or even abolished, arguing that many of its functions can be carried out by the states.
The changes have, however, disrupted the agency's planning for the hurricane season, stoking concern that it will be ill-equipped to deal with any disaster.
The departures unveiled on Wednesday follow the abrupt firing of FEMA's then-acting administrator Cameron Hamilton earlier this month. The agency's new leader, David Richardson, has vowed to "run right over" staff who resist reforms.
In emails to staff, acting FEMA chief of staff Julia Moline thanked the departing executives and announced several replacements, including the appointment of Cynthia Spishak as acting deputy administrator, the role Tierney held.
FEMA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.
The mass departure of senior talent represents a significant loss of institutional knowledge that will further degrade FEMA's capacity to respond to disasters, said Michael Coen, former FEMA chief of staff under the administrations of former Presidents Barack Obama and Joe Biden.
Coen called Tierney, a regional administrator who has managed over 100 disaster and emergency declarations for an area that includes Pennsylvania and Delaware, a "leader of leaders" and said she "will be the most significant loss."
Tierney said her decision to resign was not easy.
"FEMA is not a job, it's a calling," Tierney said in a statement to Reuters. "It was a privilege to serve alongside a team of people who dedicate themselves to helping their fellow Americans on their worst day."
Other departing executives include acting chief financial officer Monroe Neal; Eric Leckey, who was responsible for human resources and other management support functions; and Leiloni Stainsby, a high-ranking executive in the agency's office overseeing response and recovery operations.
Forecasters have predicted a busier-than-average Atlantic hurricane season, which starts June 1.
Representative Bennie Thompson, the senior Democrat on the House Homeland Security Committee with oversight of FEMA, said in a statement that the exit of so many senior executives exacerbated his concerns about the agency.
"Decimating FEMA's leadership will do nothing to help the agency prepare for the upcoming hurricane season," he said.
Richardson has promised the agency will be prepared.
Earlier on Wednesday, he sent a memo to staff rescinding the agency's strategic plan for 2022-2026 because it "contained objectives that bear no connection to FEMA accomplishing its mission." Richardson said in the memo that a new strategy for 2026-2030 would be developed this summer.

Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

Japan confirms China's aircraft carrier sailed east of Iwo Jima for first time
Japan confirms China's aircraft carrier sailed east of Iwo Jima for first time

Yahoo

time2 hours ago

  • Yahoo

Japan confirms China's aircraft carrier sailed east of Iwo Jima for first time

TOKYO (Reuters) -The Chinese aircraft carrier Liaoning sailed through waters east of the island of Iwo Jima in the Pacific Ocean for the first time, Japan's top government spokesperson said on Monday. Japan would strengthen surveillance and gather necessary information, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi told a regular press briefing in Tokyo. Japan has also sent "an appropriate message" to China, Hayashi said without elaborating. Iwo Jima is located 1,000 km (620 miles) south of Tokyo. A statement by Japan's Joint Staff showed over the weekend that the Liaoning, accompanied by some other ships, sailed in the sea within Japan's exclusive economic zone near Minamitorishima, a remote island east of Iwo Jima. Japan had also confirmed fighter jets and helicopters taking off and landing from Liaoning in the waters southeast of Iwo Jima on Sunday.

China exports growth misses expectations despite tariff truce; imports plunge amid weak consumption
China exports growth misses expectations despite tariff truce; imports plunge amid weak consumption

CNBC

time4 hours ago

  • CNBC

China exports growth misses expectations despite tariff truce; imports plunge amid weak consumption

China's exports growth missed expectations in May, despite a temporary trade truce with the U.S. that prompted businesses to frontload shipments and capitalize on the 90-day pause on steep duties. Exports rose 4.8% last month in U.S. dollar terms from a year earlier, customs data showed Monday, shy of Reuters' poll estimates of a 5% jump. Imports plunged 3.4% in May from a year earlier, a drastic drop compared to economists' expectations of a 0.9% fall. Imports had been declining this year, largely owed to sluggish domestic demand. Exports had surged 8.1% in April as a jump in shipment to Southeast Asian countries offset a sharp drop in outbound goods to the U.S. Chinese shipment to the U.S. plunged over 21% in April, as prohibitive tariffs kicked in. U.S. President Donald Trump's prohibitive 145% tariffs on Chinese goods took effect in April, with Beijing retaliating with triple-digit duties and other restrictive measures, such as export controls on critical minerals. U.S. and China struck a preliminary deal in Geneva, Switzerland, last month that led both sides to drop a majority of tariffs. Washington's levies on Chinese goods now stand at 51.1% while Beijing's duties on American imports are at 32.6%, according to think tank Peterson Institute for International Economics. The temporary tariff ceasefire is expected to have triggered a renewed surge in trade as exporters and importers alike in China and the U.S. seek to frontload shipments, sending shipping costs soaring. Chinese Vice Premier and lead trade representative He Lifeng is expected to meet with the U.S. trade negotiation team led by Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent in London later in the day for renewed trade talks. The second-round of meetings come after tensions flared up again between the two sides, as they accused each other of violating the Geneva trade agreement. Washington had blamed Beijing for slow-walking its pledge to approve the export of additional critical minerals to the U.S., while China criticized the U.S. decision to impose new restrictions on Chinese student visas and additional export restrictions on chips. China's Ministry of Commerce said on Saturday that it would continue to review and approve applications for export of rare earths, citing growing demand for the minerals in robotics and new energy vehicle sectors.

Harris calls Trump's LA response ‘dangerous escalation meant to provoke chaos'
Harris calls Trump's LA response ‘dangerous escalation meant to provoke chaos'

The Hill

time5 hours ago

  • The Hill

Harris calls Trump's LA response ‘dangerous escalation meant to provoke chaos'

Former Vice President Harris criticized President Trump's deployment of the National Guard in her home city of Los Angeles and stressed the importance of the right to protest. In a statement on the social platform X, the former California attorney general and U.S. senator said she's 'appalled at what we are witnessing on the streets of our city.' 'Deploying the National Guard is a dangerous escalation meant to provoke chaos,' she continued. 'In addition to the recent ICE raids in Southern California and across our nation, it is part of the Trump Administration's cruel, calculated agenda to spread panic and division.' 'This Administration's actions are not about public safety — they're about stoking fear,' she added. 'Fear of a community demanding dignity and due process.' Harris said she supports the protesters, who, she said, have been 'overwhelmingly peaceful.' 'Protest is a powerful tool – essential in the fight for justice. And as the LAPD, Mayor, and Governor have noted, demonstrations in defense of our immigrant neighbors have been overwhelmingly peaceful,' Harris said. 'I continue to support the millions of Americans who are standing up to protect our most fundamental rights and freedoms,' she added. Her statement comes as tensions mounted in Los Angeles on Sunday, as police clashed with protesters and made dozens of arrests. Trump made the extraordinary decision to deploy 2,000 National Guard members, about 300 of whom have already been deployed in the city, as of Sunday afternoon. Trump said they were deployed to counter what he called 'insurrectionist mobs.' The administration's response to the protests has drawn widespread condemnation from Democrats. All 23 Democratic governors issued a joint statement pushing back against the federalization of National Guard units without Gov. Gavin Newsom's request or consent.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into the world of global news and events? Download our app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store