Karen Evans speaks during her swearing-in as assistant secretary of energy cybersecurity in October 2018. Donica Payne/Department of Energy/File

When Karen Evans arrived at the Federal Emergency Management Agency as a senior adviser this spring, her mandate was clear: help the Department of Homeland Security tighten its control over the agency and rein in spending.

She quickly became known as the “final gatekeeper” for all funding requests. “Her nickname was the terminator,” a former senior official told CNN. “She was terminating grants, terminating contracts, terminating people.”

Oftentimes, that meant no money went to communities across the country that were either preparing for or recovering from a calamity.

“Her intent was just to put out the least amount of money possible

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