9.6.25
Several employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have filed whistleblower complaints after being put on administrative leave shortly after signing a public letter of dissent last week. "I believe this is retaliatory behavior and is meant to silence and intimidate me and the rest of my coworkers," James Stroud, a statistician with FEMA, and among those who signed the letter and was subsequently placed on leave, Stroud said. More than 190 current and former employees of FEMA signed the letter, titled the Katrina Declaration, criticizing cuts to the agency and warning that the agency risks a catastrophe like the one seen after Hurricane Katrina. Thirty-five signed their names publicly, but the majority remained anonymous for fear of retribution. A day later, the Trump administration put many of the employees who signed their names on the letter on indefinite administrative leave. In a complaint filed with the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC) on Stroud's behalf, attorney Eric Pines wrote the actions "have been taken in retaliation because [Stroud] publicly disclosed the gross mismanagement, violation of laws, and censorship of scientific research that have been occurring at FEMA." The proximity of Stroud's "public support of this letter and being placed on administrative leave is too coincidental for it to not be directly related to publicly signing the letter," Pines added.