Fema Employees Placed On Leave After Criticizing The Trump Administration In Open Letter

WASHINGTON — At slightest 21 Federal Emergency Management Agency labor person been put connected administrative time off aft they signed an unfastened letter criticizing nan Trump administration's disaster preparedness and consequence capabilities, nan laminitis of nan statement down nan missive confirmed to NBC News.

Colette Delawalla, who is besides nan executive head of nan group, Stand Up for Science, said Wednesday that 2 of nan labor who were placed connected time off were moving successful Kerr County, Texas on nan ongoing consequence to nan devastating floods successful July erstwhile they learned they were terminated.

The letter, which began by emphasizing nan overhaul of FEMA aft Hurricane Katrina, was signed by astir 200 of nan agency's employees, astir 3 twelve of whom utilized their names. It said nan agency's "current trajectory" nether President Donald Trump "reflects a clear departure" from nan intent of nan post-Katrina overhaul, adding they meant to "sound nan alarm" to their superiors astatine nan agency, Congress and nan public.

The agency's leaders lacked "legal qualifications, Senate approval, and nan demonstrated inheritance required of a FEMA Administrator," nan missive said. The decisions of agency leaders and Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem "erode nan capacity of FEMA and our State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) partners, inhibit nan swift execution of our mission, and disregard knowledgeable unit whose organization knowledge and relationships are captious to guarantee effective emergency management," it said.

The authors said Noem's request that her agency reappraisal agency expenditures of much than $100,000 had slowed consequence times, which contributed to delays successful assignments during nan deadly flooding successful Kerrville, Texas, successful July. They besides expressed outrage complete cuts to consequence simplification efforts, what they said was interference pinch preparedness programs aimed astatine helping authorities and section partners, nan censorship of ambiance science, and nan important diminution successful FEMA's workforce.

Reached for remark connected nan letter, a FEMA spokesperson said it was “not surprising” that “the aforesaid bureaucrats who presided complete decades of inefficiency are now objecting to reform.”

“Change is ever hard. It is particularly for those invested successful nan position quo, who person forgotten that their work is to nan American group not entrenched bureaucracy,” nan spokesperson said. “Under nan activity of Secretary Noem, FEMA will return to its ngo of assisting Americans astatine their astir vulnerable.”

In a connection astir nan firings, Delwalla said, nan "decision underscores nan galore issues these nationalist servants described successful their declaration and their bravery successful opinionated up for Americans successful need."

"Once again, we are seeing nan national authorities retaliate against our civilian servants for whistleblowing — which is some forbidden and a heavy betrayal of nan astir dedicated among us," nan connection added. "DHS said that these labor are simply 'afraid of change' which is an reproach to anyone moving astatine FEMA, nan agency straight responsive to quickly intensifying and changing circumstances. Stand Up for Science is proud to person hosted their Katrina Declaration and we guidelines by nan FEMA 36.”

In summation to targeting FEMA pinch terrible cuts, nan Trump management has sent mixed messages astir whether nan agency should proceed to exist. The president said successful June that he wanted nan national agency to upwind down aft nan hurricane play ends. Just a fewer weeks later, successful June, Noem said connected NBC News' "Meet nan Press" that Trump didn't want nan agency to beryllium eliminated but to acquisition an overhaul.