FEMA staff that criticized agency put on leave

The Big Story

FEMA places dissenting staffers on leave

Employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) were placed on leave on Tuesday after signing their names to a public letter criticizing the agency’s leadership, according to a group that helped facilitate the letter’s publication.

© Greg Nash

More than 180 current and former FEMA staffers signed a public letter warning that the Trump administration is weakening the disaster response agency’s capacity and preventing it from carrying out its mission. Thirty-six staffers signed their names, the group told The Hill, while others signed anonymously. The letter was published online by the group Stand Up for Science but was addressed to the FEMA Review Council, which the Trump administration set up to explore ways to reform t