Energy & Environment

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FEMA places dissenting staffers on leave

Employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) were placed on leave on Tuesday after signing their names to a public letter criticizing the agency’s leadership, according to a group that helped facilitate the letter’s publication.

© Greg Nash

More than 180 current and former FEMA staffers signed a public letter warning that the Trump administration is weakening the disaster response agency’s capacity and preventing it from carrying out its mission.

Thirty-six staffers signed their names, the group told The Hill, while others signed anonymously.

The letter was published online by the group Stand Up for Science but was addressed to the FEMA Review Council, which the Trump administration set up to explore ways to reform the agency. It also was sent to various congressional committees.

By Wednesday morning, the group’s website was updated with a statement notifying the public of the administration’s response to the letter.

“24 hours after receiving the Katrina Declaration from the brave FEMA workers, DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s Chief of Staff has summarily sanctioned the public signatories with immediate suspension,” the group’s website reads.

Jennifer Forester, a reports analyst at FEMA who signed onto the letter, said she was among the staffers who was placed on leave. She said she signed the letter because she agreed with it and does not regret her decision.

"That's why I signed it with my name on it -- because I agree with what it says. I think that right now, we're in the middle of a situation where they are gutting the organizations that help us, prevent, foresee and manage disasters," Forester said.

© The Hill