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181 Current and Former FEMA Staff Warn Congress of Policies They Say Weaken Disaster Response

The letter urges lawmakers to make FEMA independent of DHS to safeguard the agency’s authority.

FILE - Camper's belongings sit outside one of Camp Mystic's cabins near the Guadalupe River after a flash flood swept through the area, July 7, 2025, in Hunt, Texas. (AP Photo/Eli Hartman, file)
Stranded victims of Hurricane Katrina rest inside the Superdome in New Orleans, on September 2, 2005.
Damage in New Orleans, Louisiana, seen from the back of a military truck.

Overview

  • Signatories cite a DHS policy requiring Secretary Kristi Noem to personally approve FEMA contracts, grants and mission assignments over $100,000, saying it slowed July flood operations in Kerrville, Texas by up to 72 hours.
  • They report the FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Branch Chief resigned over those delays, highlighting operational risks during an active disaster season.
  • The letter criticizes a leadership vacuum and inexperience at the top, naming acting administrator David Richardson, who lacks emergency management background.
  • Authors say workforce cuts have stripped about one‑third of FEMA’s permanent staff since 2021, and they oppose reassignment of personnel to ICE and cuts to mitigation and preparedness programs.
  • The 181 signers—35 named and roughly 141 anonymous citing fear of retaliation—addressed the appeal to the FEMA Review Council and call for protections against politically motivated firings.