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Trump Imposes Forced Leave on About 200 Employees for This Reason
After returning to the White House in January, President Donald Trump launched a strike against the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) by issuing a decision to freeze its main expenditures and force approximately 200 agency employees to take forced leave, according to media reports.
In the context of criticism directed at the Trump administration, more than 200 current and former employees sent a letter to Congress, condemning the agency’s diminished ability to perform its duties in assisting disaster victims. They attributed this to budget cuts and the freezing of expenditures, ordered by Homeland Security Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen.
The newspapers indicated that 191 individuals signed the letter; however, about 30 of the signatories agreed to reveal their names publicly. The New York Times reported that around 30 employees were officially suspended, while The Washington Post clarified that many employees received emails confirming their immediate administrative leave while still receiving their salaries and benefits.
Virginia Keys, one of the agency’s employees, expressed her dissatisfaction in an interview with CNN, describing the situation as disappointing. She stated, “I am proud of the stance taken by some, regardless of its impact on our jobs. People have the right to know what is happening because, if this continues, people and communities will be harmed.”
This step was taken twenty years after Hurricane Katrina, which caused widespread destruction in the southern United States, particularly in Louisiana, resulting in over 1,800 deaths. Authorities received harsh criticism for delays in assisting displaced persons, which prompted Congress to pass a law the following year to improve disaster management.
Numbers indicate that one-third of FEMA’s workforce has left during this year, mainly due to budget cuts approved by Trump through the Office of Management and Budget.
