36 members of the US Federal Emergency Management Agency were suspended within 24 hours of sending a letter to Congress warning about President Donald Trump’s plans to overhaul the agency. The remaining 146 who signed the letter did so anonymously, fearing retaliation.
The timing of the employees’ letter wasn’t coincidental: Friday marks 20 years since Hurricane Katrina hit Louisiana — one of the deadliest, costliest storms in US history, and the catastrophe that pushed Congress to give FEMA more power, more money, and a mandate that its director be a disaster expert.
Two decades later, staffers have warned that the Trump administration is on track to undo those measures, with repeated threats of closure prompting one-third of its permanent staff to depart, even as recent deadly floods in Texas served as a reminder of the necessity of an efficient emergency response team.