FEMA Reinstates 14 Employees After 8-Month Leave Over Critical Letter

The Federal Emergency Management Agency reinstated 14 employees on Thursday who had been on paid administrative leave for eight months after signing a public letter criticizing agency policies under the Trump administration. The workers, who publicly attached their names to the document known as the Katrina Declaration, received emails on Wednesday notifying them that an investigation was closed and directing them to return to duty.

The letter, released on August 25 of last year and signed by more than 190 current and former FEMA employees, highlighted several policy decisions. Signatories cited a requirement for Department of Homeland Security approval of expenditures over $100,000, reassignments of some FEMA staff to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the lack of a qualified permanent administrator, and reductions in mitigation programs, preparedness training, and workforce size. The group also urged separating FEMA from DHS and elevating it to Cabinet-level status.

The 14 staffers were placed on indefinite leave one day after the letter's release. They were briefly reinstated in early December before being returned to leave after one day. Abby McIlraith, a 24-year-old FEMA...