FEMA chief Brock Long says he will reimburse for vehicle use

Sept. 22 (UPI) -- Federal Emergency Management Agency Administrator Brock Long says he will reimburse the federal government for his unofficial use of government vehicles.

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen made the announcement Friday after she completed a review of a probe into Long's use of government vehicles -- specifically that he used them to travel from home to work "without proper authorization."

In a statement, Nielsen said Long will not be fired. She expressed confidence in Long's "ability to continue to perform."

The top FEMA official also issued a statement acknowledging he made mistakes.

"As the leader of this agency, I accept full responsibility for any mistakes that were made by me or the agency," Long said. "The secretary and I are taking corrective action to prevent such mistakes from happening in the future."

Nielsen directed FEMA and Department of Homeland Security personnel to conduct reviews of policies and programs related to the incident.

Politico first reported last week that Long was under investigation for misusing government vehicles during roughly six-hour drives home to North Carolina from FEMA headquarters in Washington.

The report came out just before Hurricane Florence slammed the Carolinas.