WASHINGTON (TNND) — A shakeup within the department that handles disaster response after the acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was dismissed.

The firing came after breaking with President Trump's stance on the agency's future.

The week began with Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem addressing Congress, emphasizing the administration's desire to cut FEMA.

President Trump has been very clear since the beginning that he believes FEMA and its response in many, many circumstances has failed the American people, and that FEMA, as it exists today, should be eliminated and empowering states," Noem said Tuesday.

The following day, FEMA’s acting administrator, Cameron Hamilton, told lawmakers that while improvements could be made, eliminating FEMA entirely would be a mistake.

I do not believe it is in the best interest of the American people to eliminate the federal emergency management agency," Hamilton said.

By Thursday, Hamilton was removed from his position after his comments conflicted with the President’s views on the federal government's role in disaster management.

President Trump has been a vocal critic of FEMA, dating back to his campaign, particularly regarding its response to Hurricane Helene. He accused the agency of mismanaging funds intended for disaster relief.

"They spent a lot of money on bringing illegal migrants, people that came into our country illegally, and taking them in and all of the money they’ve spent, numbers that nobody can even believe, so they don’t have any money for people that live here," Trump said while visiting North Carolina on Oct. 21.

A FEMA worker was fired last year for instructing her team to avoid houses with Trump signs during the aftermath of hurricanes that hit the East Coast, citing it as part of de-escalation protocol and culture within the agency.

The President has suggested that FEMA should be abolished, with its responsibilities transferred to other agencies and states. Critics argue that this could lead to inefficiency and potential disaster.

"FEMA doesn’t have a lot of resources, DOD has the resources, other agencies, FEMA organizes that and brings it. If no one is doing that for a Katrina for Louisiana, a Helene in North Carolina, people are going to die. And these places are not going to have a good response and they’re not going to recover," said Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., told MeidasTouch.

In the interim, David Richardson, the Department of Homeland Security assistant secretary for countering weapons of mass destruction, will oversee FEMA.