FEMA chief Brock Long, photographed after a meeting at the White House, says FEMA aren't and shouldn't be first responders.
FEMA head: I'll cooperate with investigation
00:46 - Source: CNN
Washington CNN  — 

Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen said Friday that Brock Long, the administrator for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, will reimburse the federal government as appropriate for his non-official use of government vehicles.

Nielsen said in a statement that she had completed a review of a Department of Homeland Security inspector general report probing Long’s government vehicle use, which found that he had used government-owned cars for home-to-work transportation “without proper authorization.”

“The Administrator acknowledged that mistakes were made, and he took personal responsibility,” Nielsen said in a statement.

Despite earlier reports that suggested the secretary had asked Long to consider resigning, Nielsen also she has “full confidence” in the FEMA staff and Long’s “ability to continue to perform.”

Long also issued a statement, saying, “As the leader of this agency, I accept full responsibility for any mistakes that were made by me or the agency.”

As a result of the inspector general’s findings, Nielsen has directed FEMA and DHS to conduct reviews of policies and programs related to the issue.

Earlier this month, a senior administration official confirmed to CNN that the DHS inspector general was examining whether Long had misused government vehicles and personnel for the six-hour drives between his home in North Carolina and FEMA headquarters in Washington. Politico first reported the story.

The Wall Street Journal reported that the White House considered terminating Long over the matter, but chief of staff John Kelly decided to leave Long in his role until the internal watchdog’s final report was completed. Long has said he won’t resign over the investigation.

CNN’s Rene Marsh, Veronica Stracqualursi and Clare Foran contributed to this report.