Over 180 FEMA Staff Warn Trump Cuts Threaten Disaster Response

More than 180 current and former FEMA employees have written to Congress warning that the Trump administration's appointment of unqualified leaders and severe funding cuts are critically undermining the agency's ability to respond to natural disasters. They specifically criticize Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and acting FEMA director David Richardson for lacking the necessary qualifications and for policies that impede FEMA's rapid response capabilities, such as Noem's personal review of contracts over $100,000. The staffers highlight that these actions echo the failures observed during Hurricane Katrina and threaten to reverse two decades of progress under the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act. Additionally, the letter raises alarm over the reassignment of FEMA staff to ICE and the administration's censorship of climate science, which further weakens disaster preparedness amid worsening climate-driven storms. The employees warn that continued downsizing and cuts to disaster-preparedness programs risk a catastrophic failure in future emergencies, effectively constituting the dissolution of FEMA and abandonment of public safety. This collective dissent underscores growing concern within federal agencies about political interference and the erosion of institutional expertise vital to effective emergency management.