Current Events > Trump fires most of the FEMA employees who criticized him in the letter

(+) Yeah! (+)

The Federal Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday suspended around 30 employees after those workers wrote to Congress warning that the Trump administration had gutted the nations ability to handle hurricanes, floods and other extreme weather disasters.

Of the 182 FEMA employees who signed the letter to Congress, 36 attached their names, while the rest withheld their identities for fear of retaliation.

Those who used their names received emails on Tuesday night saying they had been placed on paid administrative leave effective immediately, and continuing until further notice, according to copies of the emails reviewed by The New York Times.

The emails did not provide a reason for the decision. Representatives for FEMA did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

Colette Delawalla, the executive director of Stand Up for Science, an advocacy group that helped publicize the letter, said the move appeared to be an act of retaliation.

Once again, we are seeing the federal government retaliate against our civil servants for whistle-blowing which is both illegal and a deep betrayal of the most dedicated among us, Ms. Delawalla said in a statement.

The letter to Congress rebuked President Trumps plan to drastically scale down FEMA and shift more responsibility for disaster response and more costs to the states. It was sent on Monday, days before the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, one of the deadliest and costliest storms ever to strike the United States.

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 FEMA employees wrote.

They added that they hoped their warnings would come in time to prevent not only another national catastrophe like Hurricane Katrina, but the effective dissolution of FEMA itself and the abandonment of the American people such an event would represent.

The group of suspended employees included two FEMA workers who helped respond to the catastrophic floods that swept through Central Texas in July, Ms. Delawalla said.

The Trump administration has taken other actions against employees who have spoken out.

In July, the Environmental Protection Agency placed 144 staff members on administrative leave after the workers signed a letter accusing the administration of politicizing the agency. The E.P.A. also opened an investigation into whether the workers signed the letter while on the job using government equipment.

And the Homeland Security Department, the parent agency of FEMA, has ordered some employees to take polygraph tests to help determine whether they leaked information to the news media, according to two people briefed on the matter who spoke on the condition of anonymity because they feared retribution.

Even those this was obviously going to happen and the story will be out of the news in 48 hours, it still bears mentioning that if Obama or Biden fired a bunch of employees at an independent agency for criticizing them, Republicans would immediately move to impeach.

https://tinyurl.com/Femafired

"oh yeah, I'll show you emergency readiness!"

*fires 30 people*

Hurricane season is not over...not that Trump thinks more than 5 hours ahead.

Also Epstein Files

jefffan posted...

Hurricane season is not over...not that Trump thinks more than 5 hours ahead.

Also Epstein Files

oh no, he'd be shitting his pants in joy if a hurricane hit a city/state he could claim is blue. then you'd see him refuse federal aid for bullshit reasons while screaming about how he needs all the national guard, the group you generally see sent to help with the clean up post natural disaster, acting as his personal SS in other states.

and if it hit a red state, well honestly he'd probably try to find a way to claim it was blue and do the same thing.

Im sure Freedom will keep those nasty disasters at bay!

Of course he wants only loyalists.

monkmith posted...

oh no, he'd be shitting his pants in joy if a hurricane hit a city/state he could claim is blue. then you'd see him refuse federal aid for bullshit reasons while screaming about how he needs all the national guard, the group you generally see sent to help with the clean up post natural disaster, acting as his personal SS in other states.

and if it hit a red state, well honestly he'd probably try to find a way to claim it was blue and do the same thing.

What if it hits the Mar-a-Lago and reduces the whole damned thing to rubble?

SpawnShadow posted...

What if it hits the Mar-a-Lago and reduces the whole damned thing to rubble?

Obviously an act of god.

Strider102 posted...

Obviously an act of god.

Could be Satan trying to escape.

SpawnShadow posted...

What if it hits the Mar-a-Lago and reduces the whole damned thing to rubble?

Democrat controlled weather attack.

Right during the time when hurricane season is usually at its busiest and worst. Mid August to Early October is the usually peak season.

The thinnest skinned overgrown toddler to ever toddle.

McSame_as_Bush posted...

The E.P.A. also opened an investigation into whether the workers signed the letter while on the job using government equipment.

Wow, this is just being petty.

Trump has already given the game away in telling us that FEMA will be here for this season just to fake people out into thinking that next year will be the same.

He expects a state to eat the next Katrina and any costs involved.

How people don't see that the literal culling of American citizens is the goal of this regime is beyond me

metralo posted...

How people don't see that the literal culling of American citizens is the goal of this regime is beyond me

They do.

They're just too stupid to realize they're also on the list.

monkmith posted...

oh no, he'd be shitting his pants in joy if a hurricane hit a city/state he could claim is blue. then you'd see him refuse federal aid for bullshit reasons while screaming about how he needs all the national guard, the group you generally see sent to help with the clean up post natural disaster, acting as his personal SS in other states.

and if it hit a red state, well honestly he'd probably try to find a way to claim it was blue and do the same thing.

He's going to claim Florida, Louisiana and Texas are blue? Almost every state that can be affected by a hurricane is red. Unambiguously red.

metralo posted...

How people don't see that the literal culling of American citizens is the goal of this regime is beyond me

The Republican Party is a death cult. The more death that happens, the more the people cheer.

UnholyMudcrab posted...

The Republican Party is a death cult. The more death that happens, the more the people cheer.

The more the cult cheers. Or rather the less they cheer because they'll be the most affected.

Starks posted...

He expects a state to eat the next Katrina and any costs involved.

florida and texas are in the wrath of the hurricanes mostly.

Trump: "I'm not a dictator".

feraldrgn posted...

Trump: "I'm not a dictator".

"But everyone is saying I should be, they want me to, lots of people."

Takuya_Lee posted...

He's going to claim Florida, Louisiana and Texas are blue? Almost every state that can be affected by a hurricane is red. Unambiguously red.

he's going to say the damage is more extensive in the democrat cities so "god was targeting" democrats. you know, because the damage to rural areas is small compared to dense cities in just pure dollars amounts

havean776 posted...

"But everyone is saying I should be, they want me to, lots of people."

It's wild.

Also

The group of suspended employees included two FEMA workers who helped respond to the catastrophic floods that swept through Central Texas in July, Ms. Delawalla said.

How very odd, Trump seemed to be so concerned about the Texas floods when asked about the Epstein situation.
https://www.youtube.com/shorts/1kY4o9VL5pY

all these fired employees will get medals in 5 years

Just checking in, how much is the price of eggs?

I'm just thinking, we're going to have the most useless government in the world where the only qualification for public service is total loyalty to Donald Trump.

Without an effective team at FEMA... PEOPLE WILL DIE!!!!

So I just want to know, is the price of eggs so low that we're all cool with hundreds or thousands of people dying.

Just a correction, these people weren't fired, they were placed on paid leave as an intimidation tactic. It's evil due to that attempt to intimidate and because they won't be allowed to do their work in the immediate future. But they have not been fired either at EPA or FEMA.

Because they have no basis to fire people for whistleblowing and using their first amendment rights. That's why they'll put them on admin leave for 70 days to scare them and then quietly bring them back. If they fire them, they'll get sued because this is 100000% protected speech, the most textbook example possible.

Robot2600 posted...

all these fired employees will get medals in 5 years

you're adorable

If only there had been a way to prevent this

Deej posted...

If only there had been a way to prevent this

Well maybe if those damn democrats didn't nominate someone with a weird laugh, people wouldn't have to die.

Remember to vote far right super racist fascist who want to enslave us all in the midterms to teach the democrats a lesson!

legendary_zell posted...

Just a correction, these people weren't fired, they were placed on paid leave as an intimidation tactic. It's evil due to that attempt to intimidate and because they won't be allowed to do their work in the immediate future. But they have not been fired either at EPA or FEMA.

Because they have no basis to fire people for whistleblowing and using their first amendment rights. That's why they'll put them on admin leave for 70 days to scare them and then quietly bring them back. If they fire them, they'll get sued because this is 100000% protected speech, the most textbook example possible.

They will never work for FEMA again.

SCOTUS has already given the okay for Trump to fire heads of independent agencies, you think they're going to draw the line at random mid-level FEMA employees?

McSame_as_Bush posted...

They will never work for FEMA again.

SCOTUS has already given the okay for Trump to fire heads of independent agencies, you think they're going to draw the line at random mid-level FEMA employees

Even under this administration, no one has been fired for speech like this. There's a reason that even in the press statements attacking these workers, they make sure to say this isn't a disciplinary action or they don't give a reason at all. And there's a reason they are suspended instead of fired.

Political appointees are subject to entirely different laws and don't have the same protections.

Trust me, I'm a federal worker that's very intimately involved with this area of the law right now for many reasons. They want the headlines and the fear, but actually if they felt they could fire them, they would have.

Trump has outright fired the heads of several major agencies, but has merely suspended these rank and file workers even though they publicly attacked him and it should be easier to fire them in your mind. That's because of whistleblower and first amendment laws.

legendary_zell posted...

Even under this administration, no one has been fired for speech like this. There's a reason that even in the press statements attacking these workers, they make sure to say this isn't a disciplinary action or they don't give a reason at all. And there's a reason they are suspended instead of fired.

Political appointees are subject to entirely different laws and don't have the same protections.

Trust me, I'm a federal worker that's very intimately involved with this area of the law right now for many reasons. They want the headlines and the fear, but actually if they felt they could fire them, they would have.

They will not be paying them to not work for the next 3.5 years. They're coming up with justification to get rid of them right now, and if they sue and it goes up to the Supreme Court, the FEMA employees will lose.

legendary_zell posted...

Trump has outright fired the heads of several major agencies, but has merely suspended these rank and file workers even though they publicly attacked him and it should be easier to fire them in your mind. That's because of whistleblower and first amendment laws.

Trump just signed an executive order banning flag burning. You can't get more in direct opposition to the first amendment than that. They don't give a fuck.

legendary_zell posted...

Even under this administration, no one has been fired for speech like this. There's a reason that even in the press statements attacking these workers, they make sure to say this isn't a disciplinary action or they don't give a reason at all. And there's a reason they are suspended instead of fired.

Political appointees are subject to entirely different laws and don't have the same protections.

Trust me, I'm a federal worker that's very intimately involved with this area of the law right now for many reasons. They want the headlines and the fear, but actually if they felt they could fire them, they would have.

Everything that happens has to happen for the first time in order to happen. Please don't think that something not happening ensures that it won't happen. Until last year, you never elected a president that was formerly impeached. You didn't have the courts literally rule that said president is above the law. You didn't have a health secretary that literally doesn't believe in modern healthcare

McSame_as_Bush posted...

They will not be paying them to not work for the next 3.5 years. They're coming up with justification to get rid of them right now, and if they sue and it goes up to the Supreme Court, the FEMA employees will lose.

Yes, because they will take them off admin leave or pretextually fire them for cause. That won't go to the Supreme Court, it'll go the MSPB where they'll win immediately and get reinstated with backpay and without the ability for the admin to appeal anywhere.

McSame_as_Bush posted...

Trump just signed an executive order banning flag burning. You can't get more in direct opposition to the first amendment than that. They don't give a fuck.

He signed an executive order urging the AG to challenge the SC made law that says flag burning is protected. That's different from core 1st amendment speech law AND multiple whistleblower protection laws.

reincarnator07 posted...

Everything that happens has to happen for the first time in order to happen. Please don't think that something not happening ensures that it won't happen. Until last year, you never elected a president that was formerly impeached. You didn't have the courts literally rule that said president is above the law. You didn't have a health secretary that literally doesn't believe in modern healthcare

Sure, any awful thing is possible, but I'm talking about how reality has actually proceeded thus far under the current President. Since January 2025, I've had multiple friends who have spoken out publicly, on camera, are union leaders, have signed petitions, are in disfavored offices like environmental justice etc who have been put on admin leave and then taken off. They work for absolute bootlickers. And yet they couldn't be fired outright. That's why the admin has had to use reductions in force and probationary employees to create reductions. Because despite it all, you cannot readily fire a rank-and-file federal worker, especially a whistleblower or someone that spoke out publicly.

Update: looks like I was wrong, some at the EPA and potentially FEMA are being fired right now.

I think they'll ultimately win as long as they didn't sign using government equipment or during government time. But yeah, they're attempting to extend the terror.

legendary_zell posted...

Update: looks like I was wrong, some at the EPA and potentially FEMA are being fired right now.

I think they'll ultimately win as long as they didn't sign using government equipment or during government time. But yeah, they're attempting to extend the terror.

Simpsons called it