FEMA Staff Firings Expected to Restart After Temporary Pause, Putting Americans at Risk
Resuming Firing of key staff is reckless and dangerous as the nation heads into peak wildfire season
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Mere hours before a severe winter storm overwhelmed the South in January, Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem desperately paused the firings of hundreds of disaster relief workers at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). This weekend, AP News reported Noem will resume mass staff reductions, according to agency managers—a decision that is reckless and dangerous as the nation heads into peak wildfire season.
“FEMA simply cannot fulfill its mission to protect Americans from disasters with a decimated workforce," said Sabotaging Our Safety advisory council member and Former Director of Public Affairs of Federal Emergency Management Agency Rafael Lemaitre. "Secretary Noem saw firsthand during the winter storm the risks she’s creating when FEMA is stretched thin—and her response is to make the problem worse. This is government malpractice, plain and simple.”
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem had briefly halted the workforce cuts when winter storms battered communities across the country, exposing the critical need for fully-staffed emergency response capabilities. Now, despite that stark reminder of FEMA's life-saving mission, the Trump administration is moving forward with plans to slash the agency's workforce at the worst possible time.
According to reports from FEMA managers, the staff reductions will significantly impair the agency's ability to respond to natural disasters, coordinate with state and local emergency management, and provide critical assistance to survivors. These concerns are particularly acute as Western states brace for what experts predict will be another severe wildfire season.
On top of the immediate threat of wildfires, hurricane season is just four months away, requiring FEMA’s full workforce to coordinate response plans and pre-position resources.
###
