FEMA Employees Warn Congress: Trump Administration’s Overhaul Guts Disaster Relief Agency, Threatening Two Decades of Progress Since Hurricane Katrina

Over 180 current and former employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have sent a strongly-worded letter to Congress, expressing concerns that the Trump administration’s restructuring is significantly weakening the disaster relief agency’s authority and capabilities. The letter, titled “Katrina Declaration,” alleges that President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who oversees FEMA, are undermining the agency’s response capacities and appointing leaders lacking in qualifications.

The letter calls for FEMA to be safeguarded from political manipulation and its workforce protected against dismissals motivated by politics. The concerns arise at a time when the country commemorates 20 years since Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on the Gulf Coast, causing nearly 1,400 deaths according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). The letter argues that the reforms implemented post-Katrina, including the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act, are being dismantled, as the administration seeks to either eliminate or drastically reduce FEMA’s role.

The letter asserts, “Our dedication to our country, our oaths of office, and our mission of aiding people before, during, and after disasters compel us to warn Congress and the American people about the far-reaching consequences of decisions made by the current administration.”

In May, Noem appointed David Richardson, a former Marine combat veteran with no experience in managing natural disasters, as the head of FEMA. The agency’s front office has been filled with similarly inexperienced aides under Noem’s leadership.

Noem has also implemented stringent spending controls, requiring her personal approval for any contract or grant exceeding $100,000. This policy created difficulties for FEMA teams responding to the deadly Texas floods in July. Without Noem’s immediate approval, FEMA couldn’t pre-position search and rescue teams or fulfill requests for aerial imagery. Thousands of desperate calls from survivors went unanswered after a contract for call center staff expired.

The letter reveals that approximately one-third of FEMA’s full-time staff have departed this year, including many veteran leaders who rebuilt the agency post-Katrina. Simultaneously, the Department of Homeland Security, as part of the cost-cutting Department of Government Efficiency initiative, has significantly reduced national preparedness funding that serves as the foundation for emergency management infrastructure in local communities across the nation.

In June, Trump announced plans to phase out FEMA after hurricane season. “We want to wean off of FEMA, and we want to bring it down to the state level,” he said.

The letter urges Congress to elevate FEMA to a Cabinet-level agency, thereby ensuring its independence and empowering it to act swiftly in response to disasters. The authors caution, “we hope these changes come in time to prevent not only another national catastrophe like Hurricane Katrina, but the effective dissolution of FEMA itself and the abandonment of the American people.”