FEMA Employees Face Administrative Leave Amidst Growing Dissent
In a surprising turn of events, a group of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employees who challenged recent agency policies have been placed on administrative leave. This development follows the submission of a critical letter to the FEMA Review Council and Congress, which has sparked significant attention.
The letter, signed by over 180 current and former FEMA employees, raised alarms over staffing and program reductions that could potentially impair FEMA’s ability to effectively manage major disasters. While 35 individuals openly signed the document, 141 preferred to remain anonymous, fearing possible repercussions.
The Associated Press has verified that at least two of the letter’s signatories received notifications on Tuesday evening, indicating their placement on indefinite leave with pay. These employees are required to check in daily to confirm their availability. The fate of other signatories remains unclear.
According to the notice, this action “is not a disciplinary action and is not intended to be punitive.” FEMA has not yet clarified how many employees received such notices or whether the action directly relates to the dissent letter.
The Washington Post initially broke the story on the administrative leave notices for some FEMA employees.
The dissenting letter outlined six key areas of opposition to current FEMA policies. Among them is a policy requiring Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to approve contracts exceeding $100,000. Signatories argue this policy hinders FEMA’s mission capabilities. Other concerns include the reassignment of FEMA employees to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the lack of a qualified FEMA administrator, and budget cuts affecting mitigation, preparedness training, and workforce support.
FEMA spokesperson Daniel Llargues defended the administration’s actions in an email, stating that the Trump administration “has made accountability and reform a priority so that taxpayer dollars actually reach the people and communities they are meant to help.” Llargues added, “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.”
This incident mirrors similar actions in other federal agencies, such as the National Institutes of Health and the Environmental Protection Agency, where employees have also faced administrative leave after expressing opposition. At the EPA, approximately 140 staff members were placed on leave following their involvement in signing a dissent letter.
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