The Federal Emergency Management Agency's acting chief plans to shift responsibility for disaster recovery to states during the upcoming hurricane season, he said during a staff town hall on Thursday.

DHS' Tricia McLaughlin confirmed that DHS Secretary Kristi Noem decided to remove Hamilton and appoint David Richardson as his replacement, effective immediately. However, she did not provide a reason for Hamilton's dismissal.

Richardson, who took the helm at FEMA one week ago in an abrupt change of leadership, said he believed the agency would likely cut its financial outlay to half of what a state needs to respond to a disaster as part of future reforms.