FEMA Staff Put On Leave After Signing Open Protest Letter

"In the dissent letter first reported by the Post the employees warned that the inexperience of current leadership could Katrina-level disaster. They said Noem and Richardson lack the qualifications to lead the agency, which has hampered FEMA's ability to manage emergencies. The letter also criticized a FEMA policy that requires expenses above $100,000 to be personally approved by Noem."

"ABC reports that the impacted staffers were informed the decision to put them on leave is not a disciplinary action and is not intended to be punitive. According to The New York Times, that policy contributed to a delay in response time to a FEMA call center in the wake of the deadly Texas floods as the agency was unable to renew the contracts of hundreds of contractors at the call center in a timely fashion."

"In all, more than 180 employees signed the letter though only three dozen used their full names, out of fear of retribution. More than a third of those who signed their full name have already been punished. In a statement to the Post, a FEMA spokesperson blasted the dissenters. It is not surprising that some of the same bureaucrats who presided over decades of inefficiency are now objecting to reform. Our obligation is to survivors, not to protecting broken systems, the spokesperson said."

More than a dozen FEMA employees were placed on leave after signing a dissent letter criticizing agency leadership, though officials said the leave was not disciplinary or punitive. The letter warned that the inexperience of current leadership could produce a Katrina-level disaster and claimed that the secretary and acting administrator lack qualifications to lead, hampering emergency management. The letter criticized a policy requiring personal approval for expenses above $100,000 and linked that policy to delays renewing hundreds of call-center contracts after deadly Texas floods. About 180 employees signed the letter, but only roughly three dozen used full names; over a third of named signers have been punished. Agency leadership defended reforms and emphasized mission focus on survivors.

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