US EditionFEMA halts terminations of disaster workers as agency prepares for massive winter storm
FEMA halted terminations of about 300 disaster workers to maintain response capacity amid a major winter storm threatening central and eastern U.S., agency data shows 14% workforce cut last year.
- On Thursday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency abruptly halted planned terminations of disaster workers as a major winter storm approached, instructing staff to `cease offboarding` CORE employees.
- Workforce data show that FEMA lost more than 3,700 employees last year, with nearly half facing 2026 contract expirations and many CORE employees cut despite prior contract extensions.
- FEMA activated its National Response Coordination Center, deployed teams to Texas, Virginia, Georgia and Pennsylvania, and pre-staged 30 generators, 250,000 meals and 400,000 liters of water in Louisiana.
- Congress last week urged FEMA to maintain staffing, Senate Democrats asked DHS/Noem to pause terminations, but DHS has not released a public plan, leaving managers awaiting decisions.
- With about 2,000 positions cut since 2024, senior FEMA officials warn the reductions sow chaos, weaken response, delay life-saving operations, and stem from expiring contracts amid unclear DHS strategy.
35 Articles
35 Articles
FEMA pauses job cuts with winter storm bearing down on half the country: report
The Federal Emergency Management Agency is backing off plans to terminate disaster relief workers as a major winter storm bears down on much of the country.Bloomberg News reviewed an internal email sent this week to some FEMA officials instructing them to “cease offboarding” some of FEMA’s Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees (CORE) and promised updated guidance would follow, but the message did not explain the reasoning for the revised …
By Gabe Cohen, CNN. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has abruptly halted the ongoing layoffs of hundreds of disaster workers as the agency prepares for a massive winter storm expected to hit a large swath of the country in the coming days. In an email Thursday afternoon, obtained by CNN, staff were told that FEMA would “stop laying off” disaster workers whose employment contracts were set to expire in the coming days, a practice th…
I was let go by FEMA. These cuts make us all less safe. - The Boston Globe
The abrupt termination of my position and reported plans to eliminate thousands more staff nationwide are just the latest in a series of moves designed to cut the agency off at the knees.
FEMA halts terminations of disaster workers as agency prepares for massive winter storm
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has abruptly halted ongoing terminations of hundreds of disaster workers as the agency prepares for an enormous winter storm expected to pound a large swath of the country in the coming days.
FEMA pauses termination of disaster workers ahead of winter storm
The Federal Emergency Management Agency has abruptly halted the termination of hundreds of disaster workers because of the massive winter storm.In an email Thursday obtained by CNN, staff were told FEMA would stop dismissing workers whose contracts are expiring. Sources told CNN the looming winter storm was a major factor in the pause.Roughly 300 disaster workers have been let go this month, with only a handful receiving contract extensions.RELA…
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