On August 26, 2025, a storm of controversy erupted within the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as more than 190 current and former employees signed a public letter sharply criticizing the agency’s handling of disaster response and internal management. The move, which quickly reverberated through the halls of government and the national media, has thrown FEMA’s internal struggles into the spotlight just as hurricane season reaches its most dangerous peak.
According to reporting by WIRED and The Washington Post, the letter—signed by a mix of current and former FEMA staff—accused the agency’s leadership of implementing policies that have hampered its ability to respond swiftly and effectively to disasters. The most pointed criticism centered on a new rule, instituted in June 2025, requiring that any FEMA spending over $100,000 be personally vetted by Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem. Employees charged that this policy “reduces FEMA’s authorities and capabilities to swiftly deliver our mission.”
The fallout was immediate and dramatic. Within hours of the letter’s publication, 35 employees who had signed with their full names were placed on administrative leave, a move confirmed by multiple outlets including WIRED and The Guardian. The memo sent to these employees, as reviewed by WIRED, stated that the leave “is not a disciplinary action” and “not intended to be punitive,” but it suspended their access to FEMA facilities and email accounts, leaving their futures at the agency uncertain.
Jennifer Forester, a report analyst based in Texas, described the risks of speaking out: “Signing it anonymously would not have made the same point—that this is a situation dire enough to warrant risking a career, because human lives are at stake in what can, at first glance, just look like a political scuffle over political appointments and jobs,” she told WIRED. Forester received her suspension notice just before leaving work on Tuesday, underscoring the agency’s swift response to internal dissent.
The public letter and subsequent suspensions come against a backdrop of mounting frustration within FEMA. Staff attrition has reached crisis levels; by May 2025, roughly one-third of the agency’s full-time workforce had already departed, resulting in the loss of “irreplaceable institutional knowledge and long-built relationships,” as highlighted in the letter. This exodus has weakened FEMA’s ability to implement new financial efficiency measures, such as the contract review process now subject to Secretary Noem’s approval.
The timing of these internal struggles could not be worse. This summer has seen catastrophic flooding across the United States, most notably in Texas, where at least 135 people died in July 2025. Critics, including some within FEMA, argue that the new spending cap and resulting bureaucratic delays contributed to the agency’s slow response. As CNN reported, FEMA’s chief of urban search and rescue operations resigned in late July, citing frustrations with the DHS-imposed spending approval process that delayed urgently needed aid during the disaster.
Former FEMA acting administrator Cameron Hamilton added his voice to the chorus of criticism on August 27. In a public LinkedIn post, Hamilton wrote, “Stating that @fema is operating more efficiently, and cutting red tape is either: uninformed about managing disasters; misled by public officials; or lying to the American public to prop up talking points. President Trump and the American people deserve better than this… FEMA is saving money which is good due to the astronomical U.S. Debt from Congress. Despite this, FEMA staff are responding to entirely new forms of bureaucracy now that is lengthening wait times for claim recipients, and delaying the deployment of time sensitive resources.”
Hamilton, who was fired a day after testifying in defense of the agency to Congress in May, later explained to WIRED that he posted to “clarify statements made by some at DHS that I believe are mischaracterizing problems with FEMA.” He said, “I have been frustrated at how FEMA has been scapegoated and firmly believe that the role of FEMA should be one of excellence, and success for the government.”
Meanwhile, FEMA’s leadership has defended the controversial reforms. In a statement to The Guardian, the agency said, “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, who have forgotten that their duty is to the American people not entrenched bureaucracy.”
Secretary Kristi Noem, speaking at the FEMA Review Council meeting on August 28, doubled down on her support for the Trump administration’s approach. “FEMA is much more responsive under President Trump to people’s needs than it has been under previous administrations,” Noem said, urging attendees to “tell the story of how different FEMA has been the last seven, eight months under [Trump’s] leadership than it was previous to that.”
But inside FEMA, many employees see a different reality. As of August 7, the agency still had over $700 million left to allocate in non-disaster spending before the fiscal year ends on September 30, with more than 1,000 open contract actions pending. In early August, staff were asked to volunteer over a weekend to help review contracts for Noem’s sign-off—a sign of the mounting pressure to meet looming deadlines. Notes from one internal meeting, obtained by WIRED, read simply: “Lots of work over the weekend.”
“Disaster money is just sitting,” one employee lamented to WIRED. “Every single day applicants are asking their FEMA contact ‘where’s my money?’ And we are ordered to just say nothing and redirect.”
Morale has taken a further hit as employees worry about retaliation for speaking out. In April 2025, DHS reportedly administered polygraphs to identify staff who had leaked information to the press—a move that has left many fearful that similar tactics could be used to unmask those who signed the latest letter anonymously. “I’m concerned they may use similar tactics to identify anonymous signers,” one employee told WIRED on condition of anonymity.
The turmoil at FEMA mirrors broader tensions across the federal government. In July, the Environmental Protection Agency suspended about 140 employees who signed a similar public letter, suggesting a pattern of aggressive responses to internal dissent under the Trump administration’s reform agenda.
As hurricane season heats up, FEMA faces daunting challenges. The procurement legal team, which began 2025 with nine lawyers responsible for reviewing financial contracts during disasters, has been whittled down to just a few as most have either left or been reassigned. “I have no idea what happens,” a former employee told WIRED, “when a hurricane hits and we need a contract attorney on shift 24/7.”
With hundreds of millions in unallocated funds, a shrinking workforce, and a climate of fear among staff, FEMA’s ability to respond to the next major disaster is under unprecedented scrutiny. The coming months will test whether the agency’s reforms can deliver on their promises—or whether, as many critics warn, the cost will be measured in more than just dollars and cents.