FEMA suspends workers who criticized Trump Cuts, say the American media

The American Federal Agency for Emergency Management (FEMA) has suspended a number of staff members who have criticized the agency management under US President Donald Trump.

The staff would have been among those who recently signed an open letter that castigated Trump officials on cuts and an alleged interference, warning that another “national disaster” similar to Hurricane Katrina was possible.

More than 20 employees were informed Tuesday that they had been put on administrative leave, according to sources that spoke to the American BBC partner, CBS News. The BBC asked for comments from FEMA.

There was a renewed control of preparation for American disasters after the recent deadly floods in Texas.

Trump maintained himself on the radical revision of the disaster management agency shortly after his return to the post in January, when he spoke of the idea of ​​”perhaps completely getting rid of FEMA”.

He described the organization of ineffective and suggested that civil servants at the level of the state were better placed to respond to natural disasters.

The reports suggest that hundreds of employees – representing about a third of FEMA labor – have left their job since the start of the year for various reasons.

Of the 191 employees of FEMA who signed Monday’s open letter criticizing the agency management under Trump, the majority remained anonymous.

The letter reflected the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, stressing that the storm had made more than 1,800 lives and had stressed the need for competent leadership in the management of American disasters.

It took the Trump administration for the funding and the agency’s labor market discounts, the fact of not appointing a boss of the permanent agency and other questions, including the “perceived censorship of climate science”.

Addressing the Federal Emergency Management Agency for examination board, the letter made requests, including a defense against the “interference” of the Ministry of Internal Security (DHS) and the end of “dismissals with political motivation”.

The objective was to “prevent not only another national disaster such as Hurricane Katrina, but the effective dissolution of FEMA itself,” said the document.

In response, an official of FEMA defended the work and reforms of the agency under Trump – saying that he was determined to deliver for the American people and had been “bogged down by administrative formalities” and other ineffectures. DHS has not yet answered.

Some of those who lent their names to the protest letter received emails on Tuesday saying that they had been put on administrative leave “with immediate effect and continuing until further notice”, according to copies of emails seen by CBS.

The group would begin a “non-service status” and continue to receive wages and benefits, according to emails. The emails did not give a motive for moving, but reassured that it was not “a disciplinary action and is not intended to be punitive”.

The New York Times reported that a higher number of approximately 30 employees received the email.

The Washington Post reported that at least two of the FEMA suspended personnel had been involved in the federal response to the fatal floods of July in Texas.

Dozens of people died in disaster – including 27 participants from a summer camp for girls. Questioned by the legislators on the accusations that certain rescue work had been delayed, the acting administrator of FEMA described the answer as a “model”.

Among the other natural disasters with which US disaster officials challenged this year were crawling forest fires in Los Angeles.

The rank on FEMA suspensions is delivered with the Hurricane season of the North Atlantic in progress and with expectations that the agency will be more occupied than usual due to warmer sea temperatures – made more likely by climate change.