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Brock Long, the administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will have to reimburse the government for abusing government vehicles by going to his home and returning – but will keep his job, officials said Friday .
Mr. Long, a hurricane expert with years of experience in emergency management, was monitored for frequent travel between the agency's headquarters in Washington, DC and Hickory, N.-.
It has been investigated by the inspector general of the Department of Homeland Security, which includes FEMA, as well as by Republicans, while his agency was grappling with the descent of Hurricane Florence on the Carolina coast.
The Inspector General's report revealed that Mr. Long had used government vehicles while traveling from home to work "without proper authorization," Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Friday.
She said FEMA administrators have long been "transported and had access to government vehicles designed to provide senior management connectivity in times of crisis." However, the use of vehicles to get to work was not allowed.
"In April of this year, FEMA corrected this long-standing practice and eliminated unauthorized commuting," she said.
Nielsen said she took steps to correct the issues identified in the report and had a "productive conversation" with Mr. Long.
Mr. Long, who was the administrator of FEMA since last year, had denied knowingly violating the rules of the agency.
In his statement on Friday, he acknowledged mistakes and said he was working with Ms. Nielsen to make sure similar issues would not happen again. "As the head of this agency, I accept full responsibility for any mistakes made by me or by the agency," he said.
A spokesman for the Department of Homeland Security did not answer questions late last Friday about how long Mr. Long was charged with reimbursing and whether he was facing other consequences.
"I remain committed to FEMA's critical mission – to help people before, during and after disasters," Long said.
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