Trump nominates Peter Gaynor for FEMA administrator

President Trump has officially nominated Peter Gaynor to lead the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on a permanent basis.

Gaynor has been leading the agency in an acting capacity since March after former FEMA head Brock Long resigned the previous month amid ethics questions about his use of government vehicles.

During his tenure thus far at the helm of the agency, Gaynor has had to deal with a slate of natural emergencies, including Hurricane Dorian, which made landfall in the U.S. this month.

{mosads}Trump was anticipated to tap Gaynor for the role after he formally withdrew Jeffrey Byard’s nomination after reports surfaced that he was accused of being involved in an altercation. 

Prior to joining FEMA, Gaynor worked in Rhode Island as the director of the Providence Emergency Management Agency and Office of Homeland Security. He served as Rhode Island’s emergency manager until 2018, and also served in the Marines from 1977 to 1981 and from 1986 to 2008.

Gaynor’s nomination now heads to the Senate, where it needs a simple majority to pass. FEMA has been without a permanent head since Long’s resignation.