"At every turn they've made it more difficult for the agency and the people left here to do our job"
Brad Reed for Common Dreams
Sources tell CNN that Pagurek told
colleagues this week that bureaucratic hurdles imposed by the Department of
Homeland Security (DHS) under Secretary Kristi Noem were a tipping point
because he felt that they had slowed down his unit's response to the Texas
floods.
Pagurek's resignation letter, which was obtained by CNN,
made no specific mention of the response to the Texas floods and instead talked
in generalities about his decision to return to the Philadelphia Fire
Department, where he had worked prior to spending more than a decade at FEMA's
Urban Search and Rescue unit.
"This decision was not made lightly, and after much
reflection and prayer, it is the right path for me at this time," Pagurek
wrote. "I have been continually inspired by the unwavering dedication,
unmatched courage, and deep-seated commitment we share for saving lives and
bringing hope in the face of devastation."
This did not stop Trump administration officials from taking
shots at Pagurek on his way out the door, however.
"It is laughable that a career public employee, who
claims to serve the American people, would choose to resign over our refusal to
hastily approve a six-figure deployment contract without basic financial
oversight," one unnamed DHS spokesperson told CNN. "We're
being responsible with taxpayer dollars, that’s our job."
However, CNN notes that Pagurek is just one of several longtime FEMA employees who have exited the agency since U.S. President Donald Trump's second term began this past January. The cable news network also says that its own past reporting on restrictions placed on FEMA line up with the concerns reportedly expressed by Pagurek on his way out the door.
"FEMA leaders were unable to quickly mobilize some
critical resources, including these elite teams, in the crucial first hours of
the Texas floods," writes CNN. "The holdup stemmed from a
new rule imposed by Noem, who continues to require her personal approval for
every contract and grant over $100,000 before funds can be released—a threshold
that FEMA officials called 'pennies' during a disaster response. Some FEMA
teams, which are involved in large area searches, water rescues and finding
human remains, didn't arrive in Texas and begin field work until a week after
the flood."
And while DHS has been making noises about speeding up
approval of funds for urgent life-saving operations, one longtime employee at
the agency says it's still not sufficient to overcome administrative hurdles.
"At every turn they've made it more difficult for the
agency and the people left here to do our job," they said. "It's just
a shotgun approach to guidance that we are constantly reacting to and then
trying to build internal process on the fly, to make sure we can answer the
bell when it’s rung."
Trump has angrily lashed out at criticism of his
administration's response to the flooding, and earlier this month he tried to
publicly shame a Texas reporter who asked him whether the actions of the
administration had needlessly cost people's lives.
"Only a bad person would ask a question like that, to
be honest with you," he said in response to the reporter. "I don't know
who you are but only a very evil person would ask a question like that."
