Over 180 current and former employees of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) signed and published a letter on Monday, urging Congress and the public attention to what they see as a dangerous erosion of disaster response capabilities, The Associated Press reported. The letter, the report said, warns that recent cuts and policy changes could lead to a catastrophe reminiscent of Hurricane Katrina.
“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 states, per AP.
Failures Echo Pre-Katrina Structure
The signatories stressed that the federal agency is heading down a dangerous path. “Two decades later, FEMA is enacting processes and leadership structures that echo the conditions PKEMRA was designed to prevent.” PKEMRA refers to the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006.
Reassignment, Unqualified Leaders and Internal Collapse
Inside FEMA, around one-third of the agency’s full-time workforce has departed — voluntarily or through dismissal — even as leadership churn still remains high. Acting heads Cameron Hamilton and David Richardson are believed to lack emergency management experience, and FEMA‘s response to the Texas floods came under fire after survivor calls went unanswered and rescue deployments were delayed due to a new spending approval policy, as reported by The Associated Press.
The letter, the report said, criticises these policies, including the reassignment of FEMA staff to United States Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), failure to appoint qualified leadership, and cuts to mitigation programs, training, and workforce capacity.
FEMA Could Become Independent Cabinet-Level Agency
According to the report, signatories sent the letter to congressional committees and the newly formed FEMA Review Council, urging lawmakers to elevate the agency to independent cabinet-level status — mirroring a bipartisan bill, the FEMA Act, recently introduced in the House.
Thirty-five employees signed by name while another 141 remained anonymous “due to the culture of fear and suppression cultivated by this administration,” according to the letter.
Culture of Dissent Rising in Federal Agencies
Staffers from other federal bodies, including the EPA and NIH, have also issued similar letters. Notably, about 140 EPA workers were placed on leave for signing such a statement, per AP.
The FEMA Review Council is scheduled to meet again on Thursday, as the agency’s future structure and authority hang in the balance.
