In a dramatic reversal, the Trump administration has ordered fourteen Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employees back onto administrative leave, mere hours after they were reinstated to their posts. The workers had been suspended in August for signing a petition warning that agency cuts risked a repeat of the failures seen during Hurricane Katrina.
A Swift and Unprecedented Reversal
The fourteen staffers received notices last Wednesday informing them they would be returning to work at the beginning of this week. According to David Seide, a lawyer with the Government Accountability Project which is representing the employees, their email accounts were restored and they were issued new entry cards when they arrived on Monday morning.
However, by midday, the situation had completely changed. The employees stopped working and began receiving new notices stating they were once again placed on administrative leave. This swift about-face came after CNN reported on the workers' reinstatement.
"I've never seen this happen in government operations like this, ever, and I've been around 40 years," said Seide, who called the move "unbelievable" and "appalling".
The 'Katrina Declaration' and Alleged Retaliation
The controversy stems from an open letter, known as the 'Katrina Declaration', sent in August ahead of the 20th anniversary of the catastrophic hurricane. The petition, signed by more than 180 current and former FEMA staff, criticised the administration's sweeping overhaul of the agency and its desire to shift disaster response responsibility to states.
One day after the letter was sent, the fourteen employees who had signed it using their real names were placed on indefinite leave. Seide argues this suspension was illegal, violating whistleblower protections and First Amendment rights. "You can't retaliate against people just because they signed a petition," he stated.
FEMA's own internal decision to reinstate the workers appeared to support this view. An email to the staffers cited advice from the agency's legal counsel that their actions were protected under the Whistleblower Protection Act and the US Constitution. "Political appointees reversed that," Seide noted.
Administration Condemns 'Rogue Conduct'
The Department of Homeland Security (DHS), which oversees FEMA, confirmed the reversal. A spokesperson stated that CNN's reporting revealed the employees had been "wrongly and without authorization reinstated by bureaucrats acting outside of their authority."
"Once alerted, the unauthorized reinstatement was swiftly corrected by senior leadership," the DHS spokesperson continued. "This Administration will not tolerate rogue conduct, unauthorized actions or entrenched bureaucrats resisting change."
Jeremy Edwards, a former FEMA deputy of public affairs who signed the August petition, condemned the move. He said it "represents the type of dysfunction and inefficiency that has plagued Fema under this administration," noting that taxpayers are funding full salaries for staffers forced to sit at home.
The ongoing dispute occurs as a review council established by President Trump is expected to soon recommend further changes to FEMA. The administration has terminated, suspended, or pushed out thousands of federal employees since January, with FEMA facing particular scrutiny.
