Some FEMA staff call out Trump cuts in public letter of dissent
Federal Emergency Management Agency has more than 180 existing and former employees Monday published a letter The warning that weakened to the agency accused of dealing with the federal disaster intervention is faced with the risk of disaster as seen later Katrina hurricane.
“It forces the Congress and the American people to warn the Congress and the American people to warn the decisions taken by the current administration to our mission to help people before, during and after disasters and after disasters,” the letter says.
The expression in it is remarkable not only for its content, but also for its general presence; A violent approach to critics by the Trump administration caused many people in the federal government to hesitate before locking their heads with the White House.
Letter, 20th Anniversary Week of Hurricane KatrinaWhen more than 1,800 people died and the Federal response, Deep Failures encouraged the Congress to pass the Katrina Emergency Management Reform Law of 2006.
The letter warns that the weak management and the eroded capacity in Fema can make progress unnecessary to improve the agency through this law.
“Twenty years later, Fema puts into force the processes and leadership structures that reflect the conditions in which PKEMRA is designed to prevent it,” he says.
It comes in the midst of uncertainty for Fema
The letter addresses a group of 12 people to the FEMA Review Council, which is elected officials, emergency administrators and mostly other officials from Republican states. Donald Trump He was appointed to an agency he has repeatedly offered reforms threatened to eliminate.
He comes in Fema after months of turmoil. One -third of the agency’s full -time labor force was separated or fired, including many senior personnel. The agency’s acting chief Cameron Hamilton was fired in May, and replaced by another acting president David Richardson. Both have no emergency management experience in advance.
FEMA’s response to the July Texas floods that killed at least 136 people Entered Criticism After the reports of Survivor to Fema, he remained unanswered and urban search and rescue teams were negotiated late because of a policy of the Internal Security Secretary Kristi Noem It should personally confirm expenditures of over $ 100,000.
The letter contains six “opposition expression iye to existing policies in FEMA, including the expenditure approval policy, which the signatures say that FEMA reduces their ability to fulfill their duties.
He also criticizes DHS’s decision to re -appoint some fema employees. Migration and Customs ProtectionAppointment of a qualified FEMA manager and alleviating programs, preparation training and FEMA labor force.
The letter is trying to establish fema as an agency at a cabinet level
The letter was also sent to more than one congress committee and urged MPs to establish FEMA as an independent agency at the Cabinet level at the executive branch. Bilateral Correcting Emergency Management for Americans or Fema LawIntroduced at home last month, suggests the same thing.
Thirty -five signatures included their names. According to the letter, 141 anonymous signatures “this administration chooses not to define themselves because of the culture of fear and printing”.
Employees in other agencies National Health Institutes and the Environmental Protection Agency has also published similar statements. Approximately 140 EPA staff Administrative Permission Placed To sign an opposition letter.
The FEMA Review Council will meet for the third time this week on Thursday.
