The Trump administration is actively considering a significant relocation of the Federal Emergency Management Agency's (FEMA) headquarters from Washington, D.C. to Texas, a move insiders report would present substantial operational hurdles for the critical disaster response body.
Leadership Turmoil and a Potential New Chief
This development coincides with the resignation of FEMA's Acting Administrator, David Richardson, who departed after just six months in the role. Starting next month, FEMA chief of staff Karen Evans will step into the position of acting administrator.
Central to the proposed headquarters move is Nim Kidd, the head of the Texas Division of Emergency Management. According to two former senior FEMA officials who spoke with POLITICO's E&E News, the White House has identified Kidd as its preferred candidate to lead the national agency. White House officials interviewed Kidd for the top FEMA role in February, shortly after President Donald Trump returned to office in January.
However, Kidd subsequently declined the position, stating on LinkedIn that he was "committed to serving Texas first." A source familiar with the matter noted, "The admin wanted him, but he refused to leave Texas."
Operational Challenges and a Panel's Role
Relocating FEMA away from the nation's capital is expected to create "huge challenges" for the agency, one of the former officials emphasised. A primary concern is that FEMA is managed by the Department of Homeland Security, which is also headquartered in Washington, D.C., suggesting potential disruptions to inter-agency coordination and oversight.
Despite Kidd's refusal, the administration's push to accommodate him appears to continue. One official revealed that Kidd sits on a 13-person panel appointed by Trump that is anticipated to formally recommend moving the agency's headquarters to Texas. It remains unclear which specific city or cities in Texas are under consideration for the potential relocation, or how long such a move would take.
Background of the Prospective FEMA Chief
Nim Kidd was thrust into the national spotlight in July 2025 following catastrophic flash floods in central Texas that killed at least 130 people. The tragedy included the deaths of at least 25 children and camp counselors at Camp Mystic, an all-girls Christian summer camp located in Hunt, Texas.
In a press conference after the deadly event, Kidd stated that the National Weather Service's forecasts had not accurately predicted the extreme rainfall. "The amount of rain that fell at this specific location was never in any of those forecasts," he told reporters at the time. The National Weather Service later defended its actions, pointing to a "life-threatening flash flood warning" issued more than three hours before the first flooding was reported.
The agency's slow response to the Texas floods was largely blamed on the then-Acting Administrator, David Richardson, who had been on vacation and was unreachable during the crisis. Richardson's appointment had followed President Trump's declaration in January that he might "get rid" of the disaster relief agency entirely.
If selected, Kidd would become the first permanent administrator of FEMA since Trump began his second term. Before Richardson, former Navy SEAL Cameron Hamilton served as acting administrator; he was fired in May for reportedly disagreeing with the Trump administration over plans to dismantle FEMA.
