Nearly 200 current and former FEMA employees have raised concerns about recent changes at the disaster response agency, leading to increased congressional oversight during active weather season.
As we previously reported, the staff had written a letter to voice worries about how FEMA's disaster response capabilities would be impacted by budget cuts and inquiries on Acting Administrator David Richardson's background, referencing experiences taken from Hurricane Katrina in 2005.
Congressional Concerns
Representative Greg Stanton met with FEMA employees in Washington after some staff members were placed on administrative leave.
"Trump is gutting [FEMA] with layoffs and cuts. When he suspended the experts who said he's putting American lives at risk," Greg Stanton expressed.
Stanton then emphasizes that FEMA is meant to assist Americans in preparing for and recovering from disasters like hurricanes, floods, and wildfires.
Press Release
The Department of Homeland Security informed in a press release on Friday that response times have improved under current management.
According to agency data, disaster relief funding now reaches communities 126% faster than previously, and individual survivors receive assistance within 12 days compared to a previous average of 17 days.
The agency has then implemented several operational changes, including a streamlined application process for disaster victims, eliminating the need for local governments to front costs and wait months for reimbursement, and measures ensuring greater transparency and state control over projects.
The agency cited its response to flooding in Texas in July, which Governor Greg Abbott described as "the fastest and most coordinated federal-state response" the state had experienced.
FEMA personnel deployment has also sped up, with responders now arriving on scene within one day rather than the previous two-day average.
The agency noted that Hurricane Katrina in 2005, category three storm, highlighted long-standing operational challenges as paperwork still needs to be addressed even after all these years.
The Department of Homeland Security noted that the process of FEMA is “slow, ineffective, and bureaucratic.”
The oversight comes at a critical time, as FEMA manages ongoing disaster responses across multiple states while preparing for continued hurricane season and wildfire threats.
