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Emergency preparedness

FEMA Employees Warn of Disaster-Like Situation Under Trump Administration Leadership

Strategic Insights

— 2 min read

More than 180 Federal Emergency Management Agency employees, including a caseworker who was unable to process applications for disaster survivors, have signed a letter to Congress and other officials warning that the agency's direction and current leaders' lack of experience are putting the nation at risk of a disaster on the scale of Hurricane Katrina. The employees argue that the agency is being run by leaders who lack the legal qualifications and authority to manage its operations, and that this has hindered the agency's ability to effectively manage emergencies and other operations. The letter demands that federal lawmakers take action to protect the agency from interference by the Department of Homeland Security, conduct more oversight, and establish FEMA as an independent, cabinet-level agency in the executive branch.

Key Takeaways:

  • The letter, signed by more than 180 FEMA employees, warns that the agency's current leadership is putting the nation at risk of a disaster on the scale of Hurricane Katrina.
  • The employees argue that the agency is being run by leaders who lack the legal qualifications and authority to manage its operations.
  • The letter demands that federal lawmakers take action to protect the agency from interference by the Department of Homeland Security, conduct more oversight, and establish FEMA as an independent, cabinet-level agency in the executive branch.
  • FEMA has lost one-third of its workforce in recent months due to the administration's deferred resignation program, firings, and early retirements.
  • The administration has cut funding for major programs, such as Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC), which FEMA employees say save lives and can reduce future devastation from climate change.
  • Trump officials have not given out hazard mitigation grants since February, despite many states having applied for them after floods and winter storms.
  • The letter argues that leaving communities, specifically Indigenous, Black, Brown, and lower-income communities, to fend for themselves by cutting funding, trainings, and assistance will result in an opposite outcome.

Statistics:

  • Over the last six months, the administration has cut funding or frozen major programs, including BRIC, which FEMA employees say save lives and can reduce future devastation from climate change.
  • 36 employees had signed their full name and about 150 others had signed anonymously to the letter of dissent as of Sunday evening.
  • The administration has sustained drastic institutional changes in recent months, including the loss of one-third of FEMA's workforce.
  • FEMA has not given out hazard mitigation grants since February, despite many states having applied for them after floods and winter storms.

Sources:

  • Brianna Sacks, "FEMA employees warn of disaster-like situation under Trump administration leadership" (2022)
  • Federal Review, "Katrina Report" (2005)
  • FEMA, "Statement on disaster aid" (2022)
  • Jeremy Berg, board member for Stand up for Science, interview with The Washington Post (2022)
  • The Washington Post, "FEMA employees stage 'Bethesda Declaration' to push back against Trump administration's policies" (2022)

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