Trump's FEMA Chief Forced Out of Office In Advance of Hearings Over His Failed Respone to Hurricane Maria

Brock Long, is stepping down as head of FEMA under a cloud of controversy and suspicion, after it was revealed that the committed fraud and misused taxpayer funds via improper use of government vehicles during 400-mile commutes between Washington DC and his home in North Carolina.

Long was already under fire from Congress over the botched Trump administration response to the Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, which resulted in over 3,000 deaths. 

According to the Inspector General report, it was revealed that Long would make the 400-mile trip to his home in a 'caravan' of vehicles. Taxpayer-paid drivers would be put up in hotels in Long's home state, adding to the taxpayer expense.  The trips cost the government $94,000 in salary costs, $55,000 in travel expenses, and another $2,000 in operations and maintenance costs.   Long was ordered to repay the government for expenses associated with the improper and "unauthorized" use of the vehicles and security detail. 

"Administrator Long’s apparent violations of federal law for his own personal benefit are another example of how senior officials in the Trump Administration continue to use American taxpayer money to bankroll their lavish lifestyles," said House Oversight and Government Reform chairman Rep. Elijah Cummings . "Even more concerning are his efforts to mislead investigators after he was caught," he said, seeking a briefing on how the government would claw back the funds.