Employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency who signed an open letter criticizing the government have been put on administrative leave, according to reports.
More than 180 current and former FEMA employees signed the letter sent to the FEMA Review Council and Congress hitting back at recent cuts to agency staff and programs brought in by the Trump administration.
In the letter, sent Monday, the employees warned that FEMA’s capacity to respond to a major disaster was dangerously diminished. Thirty-five signed their names while 141 signed anonymously for fear of backlash.
By Tuesday some of the employees who had signed the letter had received notice informing them they had been placed on administrative leave, operating “in a non-duty status while continuing to receive pay and benefits,” according to documents seen by The Associated Press.
The leave was effective immediately, the outlet reported, though the notice said the decision “is not a disciplinary action and is not intended to be punitive.”
The Independent has contacted FEMA for further information on the details of the leave, whether it was related to the opposition letter, and how many employees had been issued with the notice.
Monday’s letter expressed workers’ opposition to actions including the elimination of life-saving risk management and preparedness programs, the depletion of FEMA’s workforce, and the “censorship” of climate science and environmental protection to the detriment of the American people.
The signatories said they hoped their letter came in time to prevent another national catastrophe, similar to Hurricane Katrina, as well as the dissolution of FEMA itself.
“Our shared commitment to our country, our oaths of office, and our mission of helping people before, during, and after disasters compel us to warn Congress and the American people of the cascading effects of decisions made by the current administration,” the letter read.
The letter also contained six “statements of opposition” to current policies at FEMA, including an expenditure approval policy by which Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem must approve contracts exceeding $100,000, which the signatories said also reduces FEMA’s ability to perform its mission.
It also critiqued the DHS decision to reassign some FEMA employees to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the failure to appoint a qualified FEMA administrator as stipulated by law, and cuts to mitigation programs, preparedness training and the FEMA workforce.
In an email Monday, FEMA spokesperson Daniel Llargues said that the Trump administration “has made accountability and reform a priority so that taxpayer dollars actually reach the people and communities they are meant to help.”
“It is not surprising that some of the same bureaucrats who presided over decades of inefficiency are now objecting to reform,” Llargues said. “Change is always hard.”
Employees at other agencies including the National Institutes of Health and Environmental Protection Agency have issued similar statements. About 140 EPA staff members at the were placed on administrative leave for signing an opposition letter.
FEMA staff warn Trump officials’ actions risk a Katrina-level disaster
Why Trump has the Federal Emergency Management Agency so worried
EXCLUSIVE: ICE to spend $100 million on 1,000 more SUVs to support Trump’s mass deportation efforts
Elon Musk launches fresh attack on ‘weak’ Nigel Farage
3 states may lose millions in funding if English is not enforced for truckers: Duffy
RFK Jr and Trump fearmonger about autism in cabinet meeting but kill research
