Highlights;
- FEMA employees expressed outrage over budget cuts, personnel decisions, and reforms under President Donald Trump, which they believe could recreate the conditions that led to FEMA’s widely criticized response to Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
- Multiple FEMA employees who signed an open letter of dissent, known as the “Katrina Declaration,” were placed on administrative leave.
- The letter was published by the nonprofit group Stand Up for Science on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina.
- As of Tuesday evening, the letter had over 190 signatories, with most signing anonymously due to fear of retaliation.
- Stand Up for Science confirmed that around 30 employees were suspended, citing a review of emails by The New York Times.
- The nonprofit criticized the administration, stating that retaliating against whistleblowers is illegal and a betrayal of civil servants.
- FEMA employee Virginia Case, who was placed on paid leave, expressed pride in standing up for transparency, emphasizing that the public deserves to know about the reforms’ potential consequences.
- The suspended employees will continue to receive pay and benefits, according to The Washington Post.
- FEMA’s press secretary defended the Trump administration, stating that accountability and reform are priorities, but critics argue that the reforms are undermining the agency’s effectiveness.
- Since returning to the White House in January, Trump has expressed a desire to abolish FEMA and shift responsibilities to state governments.
- Roughly 2,000 FEMA employees (a third of its workforce) have left the agency this year through firings, buyouts, or early retirements.
- The letter warned that the Trump administration is undoing reforms enacted after Hurricane Katrina, which was one of the deadliest natural disasters in U.S. history due in part to FEMA’s ineffective response.
- The incident has raised concerns about the Trump administration’s tolerance of dissent, following a similar incident in July where 139 EPA employees were placed on administrative leave for criticizing Trump’s policies.
Employees have expressed outrage over budget cuts, personnel decisions, and other reforms implemented under former President Donald Trump.
Some employees at the United States Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have been placed on administrative leave after signing an open letter of dissent against the agency’s leadership, according to the nonprofit organization that published the letter.
The employees were put on leave on Tuesday, a day after they signed the letter on the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. In the letter, they expressed strong objections to budget cuts, personnel decisions, and other reforms under President Trump, which they argue could recreate the conditions that led to FEMA’s widely criticized response to the 2005 hurricane.
“We can confirm that multiple FEMA employees who publicly signed the Katrina Declaration have been placed on administrative leave,” said the nonprofit group Stand Up for Science in a statement on Tuesday.
This development has raised concerns that the Trump administration does not tolerate dissent. In July, the US Environmental Protection Agency placed 139 employees on administrative leave after they signed a letter criticizing Trump’s policies.
As of Tuesday evening, the Stand Up for Science website reported that the letter had garnered more than 190 signatories, with most signing anonymously due to fears of retaliation.
The New York Times reported on Tuesday evening that “around 30” employees had been suspended, citing a review of internal emails.
“Once again, we are seeing the federal government retaliating against civil servants for whistleblowing – which is both illegal and a profound betrayal of the most dedicated among us,” Stand Up for Science stated.
FEMA employee Virginia Case told CNN that she received an emailed notice on Tuesday evening informing her that she had been placed on paid leave from her position as a supervisory management and program analyst.
“I’m disappointed but not surprised,” Case said, according to the outlet. “I’m also proud of those of us who stood up, regardless of what it might mean for our jobs. The public deserves to know what’s happening because lives and communities will suffer if this continues.”
The Washington Post reported that the suspended employees will continue to receive pay and benefits.
FEMA’s press secretary stated on Monday that the agency has been bogged down by bureaucracy and inefficiencies, and the Trump administration “has made accountability and reform a priority.” However, since his return to the White House in January, Trump has stated that he wants to abolish FEMA and allow states to “take care of their own problems.”
Roughly 2,000 FEMA employees, or a third of its workforce, have left the agency this year through firings, buyouts, or early retirements.
Hurricane Katrina caused catastrophic flooding in New Orleans, killing more than 1,800 people. It remains one of the worst natural disasters in US history, largely due to the inadequate response to it. In 2006, Congress passed the Post-Katrina Emergency Reform Act to grant FEMA greater responsibility.
The letter warned that the Trump administration is undoing these reforms.
Source: https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2025/8/27/fema-workers-suspended-over-letter-criticising-trump-administration?traffic_source=rss
