A gaggle of present and former Federal Emergency Administration Company officers warned Congress on Monday that the Trump administration’s sweeping adjustments to the catastrophe reduction company may reverse a long time of reforms made after Hurricane Katrina.
The open letter was launched because the U.S. this week marks 20 years since Katrina’s 2005 landfall — sparking one of many worst pure disasters in U.S. historical past, with greater than 1,800 deaths and over $200 billion in harm in right now’s {dollars}.
The letter argues the Trump administration — which has sought to dramatically shrink FEMA and floated scrapping the company altogether — had made choices that “hinder the swift execution of our mission.” It states {that a} change in course is important to “stop not solely one other nationwide disaster like Hurricane Katrina, however the efficient dissolution of FEMA itself and the abandonment of the American individuals such an occasion would characterize.”
Launched by the advocacy group Stand Up for Science, the “Katrina Declaration” says it has 181 signatories. Solely 35 individuals signed their names to the letter, with the remainder choosing anonymity resulting from “the tradition of concern and suppression cultivated by this administration.”
It is addressed to a number of congressional committees and the FEMA Assessment Council, which was shaped by President Trump earlier this yr.
The declaration alleges that Mr. Trump’s picks to steer FEMA “lack correct {qualifications},” and decries the Trump administration for chopping FEMA’s workers.
“Since January 2025, FEMA has been underneath the management of people missing authorized {qualifications}, Senate approval, and the demonstrated background required of a FEMA Administrator,” the open letter reads.
It additionally castigates FEMA for terminating grants meant to assist state and native governments put together their infrastructures to face up to pure disasters and excessive climate. Two-thirds of the counties which have obtained these grants voted for Mr. Trump over former Vice President Kamala Harris, a CBS Information investigation discovered earlier this yr. A federal decide blocked cuts to the Constructing Resilient Infrastructure and Communities, or BRIC, program earlier this month.
In response to the letter, FEMA performing press secretary Daniel Llargues stated the Division of Homeland Safety is “dedicated to making sure FEMA delivers for the American individuals.” He stated the company has been “slowed down by purple tape, inefficiency, and outdated processes,” and defended the Trump administration’s dealing with of pure disasters thus far this yr.
“The Trump Administration has made accountability and reform a precedence in order that taxpayer {dollars} really attain the individuals and communities they’re meant to assist,” Llargues stated. “It’s not shocking that a number of the identical bureaucrats who presided over a long time of inefficiency are actually objecting to reform. Change is at all times arduous. It’s particularly for these invested in the established order. However our obligation is to survivors, to not defending damaged programs.”
FEMA has confronted months of upheaval since Mr. Trump’s return to workplace.
Days after his inauguration, the president floated both “eliminating FEMA” or “essentially reforming and overhauling” the company, casting it as overly bureaucratic and arguing that state and native governments ought to tackle a bigger position in managing pure disasters. In June, Mr. Trump stated he is seeking to “wean” states off of FEMA.
The White Home has proposed chopping FEMA’s funds for non-disaster grants by $646 million within the subsequent fiscal yr. The Trump administration is asking Congress to approve a $36.2 billion funds for FEMA, up from $33.1 billion within the fiscal yr 2025 funds.
Up to now this yr, FEMA has misplaced about one-third of its workers by way of a mixture of firings and buyouts, and the administration has overhauled the contract renewal system for greater than two-thirds of FEMA’s workforce, CBS Information has beforehand reported.
The company has had two performing leaders since Mr. Trump returned to workplace. Christopher Hamilton led the company till Could, when he was fired after saying he did not help eliminating FEMA. His successor, David Richardson, launched himself to workers by warning them throughout an all-hands assembly, “do not get in my means,” and suggesting he’ll “run proper over” individuals he believes are subverting the president’s agenda, CBS Information has reported.
The management change got here weeks earlier than the June 1 begin of the Atlantic hurricane season. One evaluate from Could discovered the company was “not prepared” for hurricane season.
