White House Withdraws Byard's Nomination to Head FEMA

The White House on Thursday withdrew the nomination of Jeffrey Byard to head the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Agency.

Trump is expected to nominate acting FEMA Administrator Peter Gaynor, the agency's confirmed deputy administrator, for the top disaster relief position, sources told CNN Thursday.

Trump nominated Byard to lead the agency in February. His nomination went through the Senate Homeland Security Committee in June, but issues regarding a conflict later arose and have continued to hinder his nomination.

Byard reportedly sought to withdraw his nomination last week after concerns about personal matters in his background were raised during the confirmation process. 

In a letter to acting Homeland Security Secretary Kevin McAleenan dated Sept. 12, Byard wrote: “Over the past two years the Agency has seen a historic level of disaster activity and I feel it would be best for me to focus entirely on pressing issues related to my current role.”