The chief of FEMA's urban search and rescue unit, Ken Pagurek, has resigned, citing mounting frustration over new bureaucratic policies imposed under the Trump administration, the New York Times reports. Pagurek, who spent more than a decade with the agency and led the search and rescue branch for the past year, said changes requiring Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to personally approve any purchase over $100,000 were slowing FEMA's response to disasters—a critical issue when rapid action is needed.
His resignation came shortly after devastating floods in the Texas Hill Country killed 120 people on July 4. Multiple current and former FEMA officials described significant delays in deploying response teams, and internal documents reportedly showed thousands of calls from flood victims went unanswered for days, leaving some lawmakers demanding an investigation. Sources tell CNN those delays were the final straw for Pagurek. However, Department of Homeland Security officials deny any delays and have dismissed Pagurek's concerns as overblown, characterizing his exit as a personal career move rather than a sign of systemic problems.
The agency has experienced other high-profile departures recently, including the head of its disaster command center. Staff cuts have reduced FEMA's full-time workforce by a quarter, part of a broader push by the Trump administration to shrink federal government roles and shift disaster management to states. Critics argue this strategy risks losing vital institutional knowledge at a time when climate change is making disasters more frequent and costly. While President Trump has at times spoken of phasing out FEMA, recent statements from the White House suggest plans to reform, rather than eliminate, the agency.
,
uBlock 
,
and
Ghostery 
)
