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1h ago

FEMA Staff Warn of Katrina-Scale Risk, Urge Congress to Make Agency Independent

The 'Katrina Declaration' calls for elevating FEMA to cabinet status to insulate disaster response from political interference.

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)
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Stranded victims of Hurricane Katrina rest inside the Superdome in New Orleans, on September 2, 2005.

Overview

  • More than 180 current and former FEMA employees issued the public letter, with 35 signatories named and about 146 signing anonymously citing fear of retaliation.
  • The letter says a DHS rule requiring Secretary Kristi Noem to personally approve contracts and grants over $100,000 hobbles rapid action and contributed to problems seen during July’s deadly Central Texas floods.
  • Signatories report the loss of roughly one-third of FEMA’s permanent workforce—about 2,000 employees—along with cuts to mitigation and preparedness programs and some staff reassignments, weakening readiness nationwide.
  • They argue current leadership lacks required emergency-management credentials, singling out acting administrator David Richardson and warning that post‑Katrina safeguards are being eroded.
  • FEMA and DHS defend the reforms as improving efficiency and cutting red tape, while a Trump-appointed FEMA Review Council is slated to meet this week to discuss potential changes.