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November 18, 2025

FEMA's Acting Director Steps Down Amid Furor over Texas Flood Deaths
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The acting head of FEMA is resigning after just six months on the job,
amid growing backlash over his lack of responsiveness to the
catastrophic flooding in Texas earlier this year that killed more than
130 people. David Richardson, who has no disaster response experience,
is the second FEMA head to leave or be fired since May. Richardson's
predecessor was fired after pushing back against President Trump's
attempts to dismantle the agency. Back in June, Richardson baffled FEMA
staff when he said that he was not aware that the U.S. has a hurricane
season.


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