❓WHAT HAPPENED: The head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Response Coordination Center, Jeremy Greenberg, has resigned from the agency. President Donald J. Trump is moving to close FEMA entirely.
👤WHO WAS INVOLVED: Jeremy Greenberg, David Richardson, FEMA leadership, and President Trump.
📍WHEN & WHERE: Greenberg’s resignation was confirmed last week, as the U.S. enters peak disaster season.
💬KEY QUOTE: “FEMA has the right leadership in place to continue to be laser focused on our mission and are fully prepared for Hurricane season.” — FEMA.
🎯IMPACT: The resignation raises concerns about FEMA’s readiness during a critical period for disaster response.
Jeremy Greenberg, who has led the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) National Response Coordination Center since 2020, confirmed his resignation last week. His departure comes as FEMA faces a wave of high-level resignations, with interim leader David Richardson currently at the helm.
Greenberg’s resignation comes during the height of the U.S. natural disaster season, which includes hurricanes, floods, and wildfires. The National Response Coordination Center is critical for managing federal disaster response efforts, coordinating resources and personnel from multiple agencies and governments. For instance, during Hurricane Helene last year, the center managed evacuation orders across multiple states, tracked FEMA resources, and coordinated with agencies like the Army Corps of Engineers and the Department of Transportation.
Greenberg’s team was activated three days before Helene’s landfall to ensure a coordinated response. However, some accused FEMA of blocking supplies, including tech billionaire Elon Musk, who was trying to hand out Starlink devices to locals to ensure they had Internet access.
Greenberg stated he will remain at FEMA for two more weeks but referred additional questions to agency leadership. FEMA has not disclosed who will lead the disaster coordination office after his departure.
FEMA confirmed that Greenberg would be leaving his position and stated, “FEMA has the right leadership in place to continue to be laser focused on our mission and are fully prepared for Hurricane season.”
President Donald J. Trump has announced plans to eliminate FEMA by December, with a council of governors, cabinet members, and emergency management experts tasked with recommending changes to the agency by mid-November. This follows scandals under the former Joe Biden government in which FEMA personnel were found to be withholding aid from Trump supporters in the wake of disasters.
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