More than 100 current and former employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency fired off a letter to the agency’s review council Monday, asserting that the Trump administration is undoing much of the disaster response progress made in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina 20 years ago.
The letter, signed by 181 FEMA staffers, most of them unnamed, represents one of the strongest rebukes yet of the administration’s efforts to save money by implementing bureaucratic changes at the agency, laying off workers and withholding billions of dollars in resilience and recovery grants.
The letter and petition, dubbed the “FEMA Katrina Declaration,” was also addressed to members of Congress and key committees. It follows similar dissent letters sent by employees at EPA and other agencies.
“Our shared commitment to our country, our oaths of office, and our mission of helping people before, during, and after disasters compel us to warn Congress and the American people of the cascading effects of decisions made by the current administration,” the letter states.
