Representative image (Picture credit: AP)
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (Fema) has suspended around 30 employees after they signed an open letter to Congress warning that the Trump administration’s overhaul of the disaster-relief agency had gutted its ability to respond to hurricanes, floods and other extreme weather events.According to The New York Times, the suspended workers were among 182 current and former Fema staffers who signed the so-called “Katrina Declaration,” released Monday ahead of the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina. Thirty-six employees signed with their names, while the rest remained anonymous for fear of retaliation. Those who publicly identified themselves received emails Tuesday evening placing them on paid administrative leave “effective immediately, and continuing until further notice.”The letter accused the administration of seeking to dismantle Fema and warned of “cascading effects” that could lead to “another national catastrophe like Hurricane Katrina, [or] the effective dissolution of Fema itself and the abandonment of the American people.”As per CNN, the declaration also accused US President Donald Trump and homeland security secretary Kristi Noem of undermining Fema’s capabilities, appointing unqualified leadership, and stripping the agency of congressionally mandated authority. Signatories urged Congress to shield Fema from political interference and protect its workforce.Virginia Case, a supervisory analyst at Fema who signed the letter, was quoted as saying by CNN that she received notice of suspension and knew of at least six colleagues in the same position. “I’m disappointed but not surprised,” she said. “The public deserves to know what’s happening, because lives and communities will suffer if this continues”, she added.Colette Delawalla, executive director of Stand Up for Science, which publicised the letter, was quoted as saying by The New York Times that the move “appeared to be an act of retaliation.” She added, “Once again, we are seeing the federal government retaliate against our civil servants for whistleblowing — which is both illegal and a deep betrayal of the most dedicated among us.”Fema, in response, defended the administration’s reforms. A spokesperson cited by CNN said, “It is not surprising that some of the same bureaucrats who presided over decades of inefficiency are now objecting to reform. Change is always hard … Our obligation is to survivors, not to protecting broken systems.”As per news agency AP, at least two employees were ordered to check in daily despite being placed on indefinite leave with pay. Notices reviewed by AP stated the move “is not a disciplinary action and is not intended to be punitive.”The suspensions follow similar actions at other agencies. In July, the Environmental Protection Agency placed 144 workers on leave after they signed a dissent letter, while the department of homeland security ordered some employees to take polygraph tests amid leak investigations.The Trump administration has proposed cutting Fema’s staff and non-disaster grants, while signalling plans to “wean” states off the agency. Fema has already lost one-third of its workforce this year through firings and buyouts. Critics say such moves risk repeating the catastrophic failures seen during Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
