Members of Congress received a letter Monday from nearly 200 Federal Emergency Management Agency employees arguing that the inexperience of its current leadership could lead to a disaster response similar to that of Hurricane Katrina.
The letter was signed by more than 180 employees as of Monday who say that Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, acting FEMA Administrator David Richardson and former Administrator Cameron Hamilton aren’t qualified to manage the agency’s operations. Employees asked members of Congress to protect both FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security from “politically motivated firings.”
“Our shared commitment to our country, our oaths of office, and our mission of helping people before, during, and after disasters compel us to warn Congress and the American people of the cascading effects of decisions made by the current administration,” the letter states. They go on to argue that they think change is necessary “so that we can continue to lawfully uphold our individual oaths of office and serve our country as our mission dictates.”