A panel appointed by President Donald Trump to review whether to eliminate the Federal Emergency Management Agency has instead concluded in a report that the agency should be more powerful and autonomous. Homeland Security Secretary Kristi L. Noem, however, wants to take FEMA in a different direction.

Democratic Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick of Florida was indicted for allegedly stealing millions of dollars in federal emergency funds and routing some of it to her campaign account, the Justice Department said.

Acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson resigned on Monday, according to multiple sources familiar with the situation.

David Richardson, who led the Federal Emergency Management Agency for roughly six months, was heavily criticized for his slow response to the deadly July floods in Texas.

David Richardson's resignation comes amid mounting criticism over FEMA's response to the devastating Central Texas floods in July, which claimed more than 130 lives.

The draft report’s downsizing reflects the Trump administration’s push to disengage the federal government from disaster management and the agency overseeing it, FEMA, pushing more responsibility for preparing, responding to and recovering from climate on states, tribes and territories.

Cherfilus-McCormick won a special election in January 2022 to fill the seat of the late Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings. She has since been re-elected two times to Congress.

A panel convened by President Trump is said to have rejected the president’s idea that the agency should “go away.”

Cherfilus-McCormick's tax preparer, David K. Spencer, is also accused of conspiring to file a false federal tax return. Prosecutors accused them of falsely claiming political spending and other personal expenses as business deductions, and of inflating charitable contributions to reduce Cherfilus-McCormick's tax obligations.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is getting its third major shake-up this year, adding turbulence at the disaster agency that’s in President Trump’s crosshairs. Acting FEMA leader David Richardson is departing,