Trump’s New FEMA Chief Is Known as ‘The Terminator’ For Gutting Agencies

The new head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, Karen Evans, is known within the Trump administration as “The Terminator” for her slash-and-burn style of management, CNN reported Monday.

CNN reporter Gabe Cohen described Evans as a “longtime government employee with limited emergency management experience,” who recently served as a senior adviser in charge of cutting waste at the Department of Homeland Security. When she takes the helm at FEMA Dec. 1, Evans will become the third official to head up the agency in 10 months.

At DHS, Evans “quickly became known as the ‘final gatekeeper’ for all funding requests,” Cohen wrote. She was given the  nickname, “Terminator,” for her habit of  “terminating grants, terminating contracts, terminating people,” according to CNN.

“She’s the enforcer for DHS,” one source told CNN. “Her job was to effectively grind FEMA to a halt.”

Some sources told Cohen said Evans has been “an effective force in DHS’ push to improve efficiency, cut perceived waste and reshape FEMA to fit the president’s priorities.”

Some critics, however, believe Evans’ appointment suggests that Noem plans to speed up the process of dismantling FEMA and shifting disaster work to the states.

Evans has courted controversy at FEMA, according to CNN, “from allegedly pushing to strip grant funding from Muslim organizations, to enforcing Noem’s new policy requiring her sign-off on all spending over $100,000, which was blamed for slowing the response to deadly floods in Texas over the summer.”

Evans replaces David Richardson, who resigned a week ago after just six months in the job. His predecessor was Cameron Hamilton, fired by Homeland Security secretary Kristi Noem for fighting the administration’s plan to eliminate FEMA altogether.

Evans will serve as the “Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Administrator,” so she will able to run the agency without Senate confirmation.

Neither Evans nor DHS commented for CNN’s story.

Watch the clip above via CNN.