Several employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency have been placed on leave after signing a letter that criticized recent policy changes and leadership appointments at the agency.

The letter, signed by close to 200 current and former FEMA staff, warned of reduced disaster response capabilities ahead of peak hurricane season. Among the signatories, 36 employees attached their names publicly. Those individuals are the ones now facing suspension.

The Trump administration responded by saying "change is always hard," and added, "It is not surprising that some of the same bureaucrats who presided over decades of inefficiency are now objecting to reform."

The suspensions come as the nation marks 20 years since Hurricane Katrina devastated the Gulf Coast, killing more than 1,800 peop

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