Nearly 200 of FEMA's employees wrote an open letter to Congress blowing the whistle on shortcomings and problems in the agency and criticizing the Trump Administration's disaster preparedness and response capabilities, as they are legally obligated to do. See Lane v. Franks, 573 U.S. 228 (2014); see also the news coverage on the issue (by ABC News, NBC news, and more).

ABC News is reporting that the 26 FEMA employees who signed their names in the open letter to Congress have been placed on administrative leave.

In other words, they were suspended from their jobs for following their conscience (and the law).

That recent Supreme Court ruling on the subject of reporting problems in agencies (pre-Trump) also held that "citizens do not surrender their First Amendment rights by accepting p

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