FEMA chief Brock Long is resigning after two-year stint marred by two controversies

Feb. 14--Federal Emergency Management Agency chief Brock Long is resigning following a two-year stint marred by two controversies.

"While this has been the opportunity of the lifetime, it is time for me to go home to my family -- my beautiful wife and two incredible boys," Long, 43, wrote on Wednesday. "As a career emergency management professional, I could not be prouder to have worked alongside the devoted, hardworking men and women of FEMA for the past two years."

He added that his deputy, Peter Gaynor, will step in as acting FEMA administrator.

"I leave knowing the Agency is in good hands," Long wrote in his statement.

Long, who was appointed to the position by President Trump and confirmed by the Senate in June of 2017, was investigated last year for using government cars in his six-hour commute from Washington, D.C., to his home in Hickory, N.C.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen found in September that Long used the vehicles "without proper authorization" but she decided he'd keep his job. "The administrator acknowledged that mistakes were made, and he took personal responsibility," Nielsen said at the time. Long also agreed to reimburse the government.

Long was also criticized for his handling of the response to Hurricane Maria, which devastated Puerto Rico in September 2017.

"It has been a great honor to serve our country as FEMA Administrator for the past two years," Long wrote in his resignation. "During my tenure, the agency worked more than 220 declared disasters. President Trump, Vice President Pence and Secretary Nielsen have been extremely supportive of me, the FEMA workforce and our mission.

"The President and his entire administration provided unprecedented support to the agency as we led the nation through the historic 2017 hurricane and wildfire season," he added.

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