Some FEMA staff who signed dissent letter over agency cuts being put on leave, documents say

Some employees of the U.S. Federal soldier exigency direction federal agency (FEMA) who signed a public letter of the alphabet of dissent earlier this week were put on administrative leave Tuesday evening, according to documents reviewed by the Associated Press.

More than 180 current and former FEMA employees signed the letter sent to the FEMA Review Council and Congress on Monday critiquing recent cuts to agency staff and programs, and warning that FEMA's capacity to respond to a major disaster was dangerously diminished.

Thirty-five people signed their names while 141 signed anonymously for fear of retribution.

The Associated Press has confirmed that at least two of the signatories received notices Tuesday evening informing them they would be placed on leave indefinitely with pay, and that they must still check in every morning confirming their availability.

It was unclear what the status was for other signatories.

The notice said the decision "is not a disciplinary action and is not intended to be punitive."

FEMA did not respond immediately to questions about how many staff received the notice and whether it was related to the opposition letter.

"Once again, we are seeing the federal government retaliate against our civil servants for whistleblowing," which is both illegal and a deep betrayal of the most dedicated among us," the non-profit group Stand Up for Science, formed in February in the wake of widespread cuts made to the federal civil service, said in a statement.

The letter contained six "statements of opposition" to current policies at FEMA, including an expenditure approval policy by which Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem must approve contracts exceeding $100,000 US, which the signatories said reduces FEMA's ability to perform its mission.

It also critiqued the DHS decision to reassign some FEMA employees to Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE), the failure to appoint a qualified FEMA administrator as stipulated by law and cuts to mitigation programs, preparedness training and FEMA workforce.

Trump and Noem have repeatedly signalled their desire to overhaul, if not completely eliminate, the 46-year-old FEMA. While there has been bipartisan support for reforming the agency, experts say dismantling it completely would leave gaps in crucial services and funding.

Roughly 2,000 FEMA employees, or a third of its workforce, have left the agency this year through firings, buyouts or early retirements. The Trump administration also plans to cut about $1 billion US in grant funding.

Trump has said he wants to "give out less money," and to "give it out directly," sidestepping FEMA programs.

Disaster response is already locally led and state-managed, but FEMA supports by co-ordinating resources from federal agencies, providing direct assistance programs for households and moving money to states for repairing public infrastructure.

Dismantling FEMA, or even changing how much of the costs it shares with states in the event of a major disaster declaration, would require action from Congress, including amending the 1988 Stafford Act, which outlines FEMA's roles and responsibilities and the cost share between the federal government and the states.

In an email Monday, FEMA spokesperson Daniel Llargués said the Trump administration "has made accountability and reform a priority so that taxpayer dollars actually reach the people and communities they are meant to help."

"It is not surprising that some of the same bureaucrats who presided over decades of inefficiency are now objecting to reform," Llargués said. "Change is always hard."

Employees at other agencies, including the National Institutes of Health and Environmental Protection Agency have issued similar statements. About 140 EPA staff members at the were placed on administrative leave for signing an opposition letter.

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