WASHINGTON: Nearly three dozen current and former Federal Emergency Management Agency staff have warned Congress about the inexperience of Trump administration appointees potentially causing a catastrophe comparable to Hurricane Katrina.
The letter represents a rare public expression of internal dissent within the disaster response agency.
It specifically criticised Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and acting FEMA director David Richardson for lacking qualifications to manage natural disasters.
Noem’s requirement to review all contracts and grants exceeding $100,000 “reduces FEMA’s authorities and capabilities to swiftly deliver our mission,“ the letter states.
Workers requested Congress to establish FEMA as an independent cabinet-level agency free from Department of Homeland Security interference.
They also sought protection for employees from politically motivated dismissals to prevent “not only another national catastrophe like Hurricane Katrina, but the effective dissolution of FEMA itself.”
Acting FEMA press secretary Daniel Llargues stated the agency remains “committed to ensuring FEMA delivers for the American people.”
He attributed current challenges to bureaucratic inefficiencies that the Trump administration “has made accountability and reform a priority.”
The Department of Homeland Security did not immediately respond to requests for comment regarding the criticisms against Secretary Noem.
Approximately 2,000 FEMA employees, representing one third of its workforce, have departed this year through various means including firings and early retirements.
The administration additionally plans to cut about $1 billion in grant funding affecting emergency management programs.
This protest letter emerged just before the twentieth anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which caused catastrophic flooding and claimed more than 1,800 lives in 2005.
It also coincides with the current hurricane season and President Trump’s stated intention to significantly reduce FEMA’s size and mandate.
The letter warns that current policies are reversing post-Katrina reforms by reducing funding and hampering rapid response capabilities through stringent oversight.
It urges Congress to defend FEMA from cuts and ensure leadership by qualified disaster management professionals.
Acting administrator David Richardson, a former Marine and DHS official, previously demonstrated limited awareness of hurricane season timing.
His June admission of not knowing the hurricane season runs from June through November left many staff members baffled. – Reuters
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