New FEMA Boss Threatens to Sideline Staff Who Get in His Way

May 9, 2025, 3:07 PM UTC

The new head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency has a clear message to employees: All decisions go through him.

David Richardson, who took charge in a surprise shuffle Thursday, told staff in an all-hands meeting he alone will speak for FEMA and interpret President Donald Trump’s vision for the agency, according to three employees who spoke anonymously because the meeting wasn’t public. Anyone who gets in the way of change will be sidelined, Richardson said, according to the employees.

Richardson’s forceful leadership style rattled some FEMA employees as the agency weathers a series of upheavals, including the Thursday departure ...

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