(The Hill) - The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) defended David Richardson, the acting head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), claiming he was joking Monday when he said he was unaware the U.S. had an official hurricane season.

Their response comes after Reuters reported that Richardson, who has been in the position since early May, baffled employees with the sentiment at a recent briefing. The outlet said it was unclear to staff members whether the remark was meant to be taken “literally, as a joke, or in some other context.”

“Despite meanspirited attempts to falsely frame a joke as policy, there is no uncertainty about what FEMA will be doing this Hurricane Season,” a spokesperson for DHS, which houses FEMA, said in a statement to The Hill.

“FEMA is laser focused

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