By KIM BELLARD
On the heels of the disastrous floods in Texas, days away from the Hurricane Katrina twenty year anniversary, and with Hurricane Erin almost becoming another Hurricane Sandy, the dedicated employees at FEMA are worried. Very worried. They’ve got a President who repeatedly has called to dismantle the agency, a DHS Secretary who is more interested in photo ops and slow walking expenditure requests, and an acting administrator who has no experience in emergency management. Oh, and they’ve suffered losses of about a third of their workforce.
So some of the more outspoken employees have written a letter. That should do the trick.
The letter, which they call the FEMA Katrina Declaration, was signed by almost two hundred current and past employees (although only three dozen allowed their names to be public). They charge:
Since January 2025, FEMA has been under the leadership of individuals lacking legal qualifications, Senate approval, and the demonstrated background required of a FEMA Administrator. Decisions made by FEMA’s Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Administrator (SOPDA) David Richardson, Former SOPDA Cameron Hamilton, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem erode the capacity of FEMA and our State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) partners, hinder the swift execution of our mission, and dismiss experienced staff whose institutional knowledge and relationships are vital to ensure effective emergency management.
The letter goes on to list “Six Statements of Opposition,” calling to reverse various actions the Administration has taken that they believe impairs FEMA’s ability to fulfill its mission. Each seems perfectly reasonable, and none seems likely to result in action, at least unless/until disasters strike enough red states to force action.
FEMA spokesperson Daniel Llargues was not impressed, responding: “It is not surprising that some of the same bureaucrats who presided over decades of inefficiency are now objecting to reform. Change is always hard. It is especially for those invested in the status quo. But our obligation is to survivors, not to protecting broken systems.”
I probably wouldn’t have paid much attention to the letter, except it comes two months after some 90 NIH scientists issued their “Bethesda Declaration” to protest what has been happening to the NIH so far in the Trump Administration. Addressed to Director Jay Bhattacharya, it declared:
For staff across the National Institutes of Health (NIH), we dissent to Administration policies that undermine the NIH mission, waste public resources, and harm the health of Americans and people across the globe. Keeping NIH at the forefront of biomedical research requires our stalwart commitment to continuous improvement. But the life-and-death nature of our work demands that changes be thoughtful and vetted. We are compelled to speak up when our leadership prioritizes political momentum over human safety and faithful stewardship of public resources.
The Declaration lists five categories of cuts the Administration has taken, about which they warn: “Combined, these actions have resulted in an unprecedented reduction in NIH spending that does not reflect efficiency but rather a dramatic reduction in life-saving research.”
Amen to that.
Director Bhattacharya was somewhat more respectful than Mr. Llargues in his response, claiming: “The Bethesda Declaration has some fundamental misconceptions about the policy directions the NIH has taken in recent months, including the continuing support of the NIH for international collaboration. Nevertheless, respectful dissent in science is productive. We all want the NIH to succeed.”
I don’t believe him. This Administration does not recognize any dissent as “respectful.”
I’m pleased to note that it isn’t just employees at FEMA and NIH who are protesting Administration actions that they believe jeopardize their mission. Staffers at other agencies including the Environmental Protection Agency, NASA, and the National Science Foundation have published similar letters.
The EPA letter, for example, flat out said: “Under your leadership, Administrator Zeldin, this administration is recklessly undermining the EPA mission,” going on to list five specific examples, and warning: “Your decisions and actions will reverberate for generations to come. EPA under your leadership will not protect communities from hazardous chemicals and unsafe drinking water, but instead will increase risks to public health and safety.” Over 600 staffers signed — although all were anonymous.
Similarly, 149 NSF employees – almost all of whom remained anonymous – expressed their “deep concern over a series of politically motived and legally questionable actions by the Administration that threaten the integrity of the NSF and undermine the civil service protections guaranteed under federal law.” The net result, they say, “collectively amount to the systemic dismantling of a world-renowned scientific agency” and “would cripple American science.”
And, in response to the August 8th attack on CDC headquarters, over 750 current and former CDC staffers issued a blistering response to Secretary Kennedy, saying: “When a federal health agency is under attack, America’s health is under attack. When the federal workforce is not safe, America is not safe,” and accusing Secretary Kennedy of being “complicit in dismantling America’s public health infrastructure and endangering the nation’s health by repeatedly spreading inaccurate health information.”
Note that hundreds of CDC employees were terminated the week after the shooting, and, to the best of my knowledge, President Trump has never spoken about the shooting. Secretary Kennedy issued what has been described as a “tepid” response while managing to work in criticism of CDC’s pandemic response. Class guy.
Bravo to all the people at the various agencies who were willing to speak out. Call them bureaucrats, accuse them of being “woke,” strip away the protections that they’ve long relied on, and these brave public servants still want to speak out when they see their good work being crippled.
But I have to point out that almost none dared list their identifies, worried about retribution by the Administration and potentially even worse by MAGA supporters. These are the times we’re living in. And, of course, despite various legal actions, most of the Administration’s actions roll on virtually unabated.
Letters, I fear, are not going to do it. This Administration doesn’t care about letters. We all need to protest, but note that President Trump just issued an Executive Order calling for the National Guard in each state to have specialized units for “…quelling civil disturbances and ensuring the public safety and order whenever the circumstances necessitate.” That’s you and me, folks. That’s what they think of our First Amendment rights.
President Trump may deny being a dictator or even wanting to be a dictator, as he did today, but if someone talks like a dictator and acts like a dictator, believe them. That’s a dictator.
So keep those letters and those lawsuits coming, but they’re not going to be enough. A lot of us have to speak up, stand up – and vote.
Kim is a former emarketing exec at a major Blues plan, editor of the late & lamented Tincture.io, and now regular THCB contributor
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