CEO of ADL: Seeing a 'blitzkrieg of anti-Jewish' acts across US 'Stay out': Fulton County official reacts to potential GOP visit during audit Dana Bash: This is so telling about where the Republican party is NEW YORK, NY - AUGUST 24: Trump Tower stands on Fifth Avenue in Manhattan on August 24, 2018 in New York City. Following new allegations over hush money that former Trump attorney Michael Cohen paid to an adult-film actress, the Manhattan district attorneyÕs office in New York City may seek criminal charges against the Trump Organization in the coming days. (Photo by Spencer Platt/Getty Images) Why GOP is standing in the way of Capitol riot investigation WASHINGTON - NOVEMBER 08: US Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman John Warner (R-VA) remarks on the resignation of Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld at the US Capitol November 8, 2006 in Washington, DC. Warner said he supports President George W. Bush's nomination of former CIA Director Robert Gates for Secretary of Defense. Warner said he anticipates Gates' confirmation before the end of the year. (Photo by Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images) Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY), joined by Senate Assistant Minority Leader John Thune (R-SD) (L) and Senate Minority Whip Roy Blunt (R-MO), speaks following a Senate Republican Policy luncheon at the Russell Senate Office Building on May 18, 2021 in Washington, DC. Hear what Matt Gaetz said about Paul Ryan before his speech Former GOP senator: If McConnell said this, 'it's shameful' 'Some people have no shame': Biden calls out GOP lawmakers with list FEMA chief Brock Long, photographed after a meeting at the White House, says FEMA aren't and shouldn't be first responders. (CNN) — Federal Emergency Management Agency Director Brock Long announced Wednesday that he is resigning. “It has been a great honor to serve our country as FEMA Administrator for the past two years. During my tenure, the Agency worked more than 220 declared disasters,” Long said in a statement. His resignation comes months after a controversy over his use of government vehicles. Last fall, Long was the subject of a Department of Homeland Security probe into whether he was misusing government resources when he used government vehicles and personnel for six-hour drives between his home in North Carolina and FEMA headquarters in Washington. An inspector general’s investigation, released by House Democrats in September, found that even after Long had been told not to, he continued to use government SUVs and drivers to shuttle between home and work. Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said at the time that Long would reimburse the federal government for his nonofficial use of government vehicles. Reports surfaced last fall that both the White House and Nielsen had considered asking Long to leave the agency amid the controversy. However, at the time Long denied that Nielsen had asked for his resignation. After his resignation was announced Wednesday, Nielsen said in a statement that Long had “admirably led the men and women of FEMA during very difficult, historic and complex times.” “Under Brock’s leadership, FEMA has successfully supported State and Territory-led efforts to respond and recover from 6 major hurricanes, 5 historic wildfires and dozens of other serious emergencies,” she said. Long, who was confirmed to the position in June 2017, led the federal emergency response to the trio of major hurricanes that hit Texas, Florida and Puerto Rico in 2017. FEMA was criticized for its response to Puerto Rico’s Hurricane Maria, in particular, a storm that resulted in nearly 3,000 deaths. Last July, Long acknowledged that FEMA’s response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico was flawed, but added that his team did a “phenomenal job” the despite harsh criticisms. “Going into other areas, like Puerto Rico, there was only one leg that was present and that’s the fact, and that’s the reality,” Long said. “That’s not a complaint, but it’s what we’ve got to overcome in lessons learned from 2017 and going forward. We’ve got to figure out how to build better baseline capabilities at all levels of government.” Deputy FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor will serve as acting administrator when Long departs. It was not immediately clear when he would leave the agency. This story has been updated. CNN’s Gregory Wallace and Ellie Kaufman contributed to this article.<doc-sep>Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator Brock Long said he is stepping down from the department he has headed up the past two years. “While this has been the opportunity of the lifetime, it is time for me to go home to my family – my beautiful wife and two incredible boys,” Long said in a statement issued Wednesday. “As a career emergency management professional, I could not be prouder to have worked alongside the devoted, hardworking men and women of FEMA for the past two years.” The announcement said Long’s deputy, Peter Gaynor, will step in as acting FEMA administrator. “I leave knowing the agency is in good hands,” Long said. His last day will be March 8. Long, who was appointed by Trump to run the agency in April 2017, oversaw FEMA during the hurricanes that walloped the southeastern United States and Puerto Rico and the wildfires that burned in California. He was criticized for his agency’s response in Puerto Rico, and House Democrats have said they want to launch investigations into it.<doc-sep>FEMA Administrator Brock Long is exiting the agency. Long, who took over as head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which falls under the Department of Homeland Security, in June 2017, said on Wednesday he would step down from the agency. In an email to staff, he said the decision to resign was “one of the toughest decisions I ever had to make” and said he plans to spend more time with his family. “Whether you agreed with my vision for the Agency or not, thank you for standing with me as we tried new concepts designed to ultimately save lives and better our profession,” he wrote. “Together, we have laid the foundation for future successes within the field of emergency management.” Long’s tenure at FEMA was at times a tumultuous one. He was head of the agency during Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, for which the federal government is still under intense scrutiny over its handling. He also oversaw the government response to Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, and Florence and devastating wildfires in California. During his tenure, Long came under ethics scrutiny over his use of government vehicles and staff for personal reasons. The DHS inspector general in September determined that Long misused government resources on 40 trips and cost taxpayers approximately $150,000. Long was subsequently ordered to reimburse the government but was allowed to stay on the job. The circumstances of Long’s departure are not yet clear, but the Washington Post in September reported that Long had been engaged in a “bitter feud” with DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen. FEMA personnel reportedly convinced him not to quit, especially amid the response to Hurricane Florence in North Carolina. Nielsen said that Long had “admirably” led FEMA during “very difficult, historic, and complex times” in a statement after his resignation was announced. “Under Brock’s leadership, FEMA has successfully supported State and Territory-led efforts to respond and recover from 6 major hurricanes, 5 historic wildfires and dozens of other serious emergencies. I appreciate his tireless dedication to FEMA and his commitment to fostering a culture of preparedness across the nation,” she said. . @FEMA Administrator Brock Long has resigned. He was at the helm for 3 major hurricanes: Harvey, Irma & Maria. His tenure won him praise for what was seen as candid effectiveness, & yet eviscerating criticism for what many saw as incompetence & stubbornness when confronted. pic.twitter.com/px8COcfdtF — David Begnaud (@DavidBegnaud) February 13, 2019 Long’s tenure was a mixed one at FEMA. He was also dealt a tough hand. Long’s time at FEMA was sometimes troubled, but he also faced with unprecedented challenges: namely, the confluence of Hurricanes Maria, Irma, and Harvey in the late summer and early fall of 2017. The storms put a severe strain on the agency’s resources and deep scrutiny on the government’s response. The federal government’s response to Hurricane Maria, which killed thousands of people in Puerto Rico, was especially under the microscope. And Long’s handling of the matter was often less than ideal. In an interview with ABC News’s Martha Raddatz in October 2017, Long was fiercely criticized when he said that FEMA had “filtered out” the complaints of San Juan Mayor Carmen Yulín Cruz, saying the government doesn’t “have time for the political noise.” Long also backed President Donald Trump on his assertions that the Hurricane Maria death tolls had been inflated after independent researchers determined the hurricane caused about 3,000 deaths in the months following the storm. Long said that academic studies on the issue were “all over the place.” Long has described FEMA’s Puerto Rico response operation as one of the most logistically challenging ever — and said that Puerto Rico’s politics are in play. “Politics between Republicans and Democrats is bad enough — but in Puerto Rico, politics is even worse,” he told reporters in October 2017. “When you can’t get elected officials at the local level to come to a joint field office because they disagree with the politics of the governor that’s there, it makes things difficult.” Disasterologist Samantha Montano in an email said Long led FEMA “during a time of volatile federal leadership and through a tremendously challenging two years of disaster responses,” citing Hurricane Maria in particular. “Moving forward it is critical that the head of FEMA has a strong and established background in emergency management as communities continue to need FEMA’s support in recovery.” Long closed his email to staff on Wednesday with a quote from Abraham Lincoln: “May God’s blessings follow me home, yet remain here with you. I bid you an affectionate farewell.” Upon Long’s exit, Deputy Administrator Pete Gaynor will become acting FEMA administrator. The news moves fast. Catch up at the end of the day: Subscribe to Today, Explained, Vox’s daily news podcast, or sign up for our evening email newsletter, Vox Sentences.<doc-sep>WASHINGTON — Brock Long, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency who was praised for his agency’s response to Hurricane Harvey but sharply criticized for its handling of Hurricane Maria’s devastation of Puerto Rico, announced on Wednesday that he would resign. Mr. Long’s tenure was also punctuated by a controversy that had nothing to do with storms. The inspector general at the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees FEMA, found in September that he had improperly used government vehicles to travel between work and his home in North Carolina, where his wife and two sons live. In a statement announcing his departure, Mr. Long noted that in his two years leading the agency, FEMA had handled more than 220 declared disasters, including during several hurricanes that caused profound damage in Texas, in Puerto Rico and along the East Coast. “While this has been the opportunity of the lifetime, it is time for me to go home to my family — my beautiful wife and two incredible boys,” he said. “As a career emergency management professional, I could not be prouder to have worked alongside the devoted, hardworking men and women of FEMA for the past two years.” The agency declined a request for an interview.<doc-sep>
WASHINGTON — Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Brock Long announced Wednesday he is stepping down. “While this has been the opportunity of the lifetime, it is time for me to go home to my family — my beautiful wife and two incredible boys," Long said in a statement Wednesday afternoon. "As a career emergency management professional, I could not be prouder to have worked alongside the devoted, hardworking men and women of FEMA for the past two years.” “Upon my departure, Mr. Peter Gaynor will serve as acting FEMA administrator. I leave knowing the agency is in good hands,” he continued. Long, who has led FEMA since 2017, has overseen the government's emergency response to some of the most devastating natural disasters in the nation's history, including multiple hurricanes that battered the southern United States and Puerto Rico, as well as the wildfires in California. “Over the last two years, Administrator Long has admirably led the men and women of FEMA during very difficult, historic and complex times," Secretary of Homeland Security Kirstjen Nielsen said in a statement. Long’s tenure, however, has been dotted with controversy. In 2018, the inspector general at the Department of Homeland Security investigated his use of government resources for personal travel. Long was ultimately told to repay the government for his travel expenses. Long also faced tough criticism for his management of the government's response to Hurricane Maria. The devastating storm and its aftermath left parts of Puerto Rico without power for months and, experts say, contributed to more than 2,000 deaths.