FEMA Suspends Employees Who Signed Katrina Declaration

A number of employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) joined an open letter to Congress expressing concern about the administration's reduction of FEMA’s capacity to respond to emergency. The FEMA employees who used their names were suspended, and some later filed a whistleblower complaint alleging that their placement on leave was illegal whistleblower retaliation. As of May 1, 2026, the New York Times reported that FEMA — citing a need for increased staffing capacity ahead of hurricane season and the World Cup — reinstated 14 employees who had signed the letter.