WASHINGTON - The Federal Emergency Management Agency faced new turmoil weeks before the start of the hurricane season, when the agent administrator was kicked out and replaced by another DHS official.

The sudden change came the day after former Navy SEAL Cameron Hamilton, who had been in the job in the past few months, testified on Capitol Hill that he disagreed with the proposal to demolish an organization that would help plan natural disasters and allocate financial aid.

"I don't think it's in the best interest of the American people to eliminate the federal emergency management agency," he said Wednesday.

President Donald Trump recommends that individual countries, not the federal government, should lead hurricanes, tornadoes and other crises. He is very critical of FEMA's performance, especially in North Carolina after Hurricane Helen.

David Richardson, a former Marine Corps officer who served in Afghanistan, Iraq and Africa, will temporarily operate FEMA. He seems to have no experience in managing natural disasters. He currently serves as assistant secretary to the Department of Homeland Security to offset weapons of mass destruction.

FEMA employees informed of leadership changes through a brief email.

Last month, Republican Trump set up a review committee with the task of “reforming and simplifying the nation’s emergency management and disaster response system.”

Before Hamilton's appearance, he expressed concerns about how to manage FEMA aid in Wednesday's House Appropriations Subcommittee. He also said the agency “has evolved into an over-expanding federal bureaucracy trying to manage every emergency, no matter how small.”

But when Rep. Rosa Delauro, Democrat of Connecticut, asked Hamilton about his feelings about the plan to eliminate FEMA, Hamilton said he did not think the agency should be eliminated.

Hamilton continued: "With that being said, I cannot make a decision and the determination to influence whether the outcome should be made. This is the dialogue between the President of the United States and this governing body."

In a statement Thursday afternoon, Delauro expressed support for Hamilton and accused Trump of firing "anyone who is not blindly loyal to him."

"The Trump administration must explain why he has withdrawn from this position," DeLauro said. "Integrity and morality should not cost your job."