People will die if we're not ready
And Trump fired them for saying so
Brad Reed for Common Dreams
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| 20 years ago, Hurricane Katrina destroyed New Orleans |
The letter, which was sent to members of Congress on Monday, painted a dire picture of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) under Trump's watch.
"Since January 2025, FEMA has been under the leadership of individuals lacking legal qualifications, Senate approval, and the demonstrated background required of a FEMA administrator," the employees stated.
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| With truth comes consequences |
The employees then detailed several specific ways that the
Trump administration has hamstrung the agency, which they said would be
tantamount to "the effective dissolution of FEMA itself and the
abandonment of the American people" if not corrected.
First, they faulted Noem for requiring personal review for
all contracts, grants, and mission assignments costing more than $100,000,
which they described as an improper impoundment of agency funds that
"reduces FEMA's authorities and capabilities to swiftly deliver our
mission."
They then took aim at Richardson, whom they lambasted as
wholly unqualified for his position.
"Hurricane season has begun, yet FEMA continues to lack
an appointed administrator with the mandated qualifications to fulfill this
role," they warned. "The dangers of unqualified leadership were a
significant lesson learned from Hurricane Katrina."
The FEMA workers noted that the Trump administration has flouted federal requirements demanding that FEMA administrators demonstrate "ability in and knowledge of emergency management." According to The New York Times, Richardson told employees in June that he hadn't been aware the US had a hurricane season.
"They're breaking the law so they can hire mediocre
people," said US Rep. Sean Casten (D-Ill.). "And Americans
will die as a result."
The employees also slammed the administration for its
"censorship of climate science, environmental protection, and efforts to
ensure all communities have access to information, resources, and
support."
They also noted that the administration removed the Future
Risk Index from FEMA's website this past February, which they said would harm
"the nation's ability to properly prepare for and mitigate against the
risks of tomorrow."
Finally, the employees called attention to the massive
workforce drain FEMA has experienced under Trump's administration.
"FEMA's current capacities have been significantly
limited due to a loss of personnel through programs designed to incentivize our
workforce to leave federal service, ongoing hiring freezes, and the
cancellation of critical support contracts," they wrote. "One-third
of FEMA's full-time staff have departed the agency this year, leading to the
loss of irreplaceable institutional knowledge and long-built
relationships."
The employees also said that the damage done to FEMA was
already visible this past summer during the agency's response to deadly floods
in central Texas that claimed the
lives of more than 130 people.
"As that disaster unfolded, FEMA's mission to provide
critical support was obstructed by leadership who not only question the
agency's existence but place uninformed cost-cutting above serving the American
people and the communities our oath compels us to serve," they said.
A total of 181 FEMA employees signed the letter, although
only 35 of them made their signatures a matter of public record.
Trump earlier this year said he'd
like to see FEMA dismantled so that more responsibility for handling the
aftermath of natural disasters would be pushed off to individual states.
Meanwhile, Trump has denied some states' requests for disaster
declarations, including Kentucky, Tennessee, and Oklahoma.
