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A number of employees at the US Federal Emergency Management Agency have been placed on leave after signing an open letter of dissent against the agency's leadership, according to the non-profit group that published the letter.
The move deepens concerns that President Donald Trump's administration does not tolerate dissent. In July, the US Environmental Protection Agency placed 139 employees on administrative leave after they signed a letter criticizing Trump policies.
"We can confirm multiple FEMA employees who publicly signed the Katrina Declaration have been placed on administrative leave," non-profit group Stand Up for Science said in a statement. The group did not specify how many employees were affected.
The Washington Post reported that shortly after, FEMA's office of the administrator had issued several letters notifying staff they were on administrative leave "in a non-duty status while continuing to receive pay and benefits."
Letter warns of Katrina-level risks
Dozens of current and former FEMA staff sent a letter to Congress earlier this week warning that inexperience among top Trump appointees could result in a disaster on the scale of Hurricane Katrina.
The Stand Up for Science website said the letter had gained more than 190 signatures as of Tuesday evening.
"Once again, we are seeing the federal government retaliate against our civil servants for whistleblowing, which is both illegal and a deep betrayal of the most dedicated among us," the group said.
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The protest letter arrived just days before the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, which caused catastrophic flooding in New Orleans and destruction along the Gulf Coast in August 2005, killing more than 1,800 people. In the aftermath, Congress passed the Post-Katrina Emergency Reform Act in 2006 to expand FEMA's responsibility. The letter warned that the Trump administration was dismantling those reforms.
Workforce departures intensify pressure
FEMA's press secretary said on Monday the agency had been hampered by inefficiencies and red tape, adding that the Trump administration "has made accountability and reform a priority."
Roughly 2,000 FEMA employees, about one-third of the workforce, have left the agency this year through firings, buyouts, or early retirements. The administration also plans to cut about $1 billion in grant funding.
