Lawmakers: “The Administration’s destructive approach will not assist the disaster-impacted communities across the country hoping to rebuild and move forward. To the contrary, it will leave the nation more vulnerable to future disasters and less prepared to pick up the pieces when the dust settles.”
WASHINGTON, DC – U.S. Senator Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI) joined ten of her Senate colleagues in calling on leadership of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to respond to unanswered questions about Elon Musk’s so-called “Department of Government Efficiency” (DOGE) and its reported access to sensitive disaster victim data. The letter, led by Senators Peter Welch (D-VT) and Alex Padilla (D-CA), also demanded answers about how FEMA's firing of hundreds of personnel and freezing of certain grants will impact the agency’s capacity to mitigate and quickly respond to disasters.
This letter follows a previous request made by Senator Hirono and her colleagues to provide answers about who has been granted access to victim data, the extent of access to that data, and FEMA’s protocols for ensuring Americans’ data is not misused, but FEMA failed to respond.
In their letter to the Senior Official Performing the Duties of FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton, the Senators wrote: “Our constituents—rebuilding from severe flooding in Vermont, Minnesota, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, as well as catastrophic wildfires in Hawaii, New Mexico, Oregon, and California—have experienced first-hand the shortcomings of the federal approach to disaster resilience and recovery. Instead of addressing their needs and concerns, the Trump Administration has taken a sledgehammer to the foundation of FEMA. We agree FEMA needs fixing, but effective reform requires thoughtful and precise solutions, not brute force and arbitrary terminations.”
The Senators continued: “Last month, FEMA fired over 200 probationary employees, including new hires and those recently promoted, despite longstanding and severe staffing shortages. The Administration claims only “non-mission critical” personnel were impacted by the firings. However, we have yet to receive any evidence to support that assertion. Instead, reporting indicates that these firings will undermine federal disaster response and hamper FEMA’s ability to provide critical support to our constituents.”
“In addition to mass firings, stakeholders have informed us that the Administration has suspended disbursement of certain FEMA grants,” wrote the Senators. “These apparent freezes have left frontline organizations in limbo and our communities in jeopardy. The Administration’s destructive approach will not assist the disaster-impacted communities across the country hoping to rebuild and move forward. To the contrary, it will leave the nation more vulnerable to future disasters and less prepared to pick up the pieces when the dust settles.”
In their letter, the Senators requested prompt responses to the questions posed in their previous inquiry, as well as responses to the following questions regarding reports of mass firings and funding freezes at FEMA:
In addition to Senators Hirono, Welch, and Padilla, the letter was signed by Senators Bernie Sanders (I-VT), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Ron Wyden (D- OR), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ed Markey (D-MA), and Chris Van Hollen (D-MD).
The full text of the letter is available here and below.
Dear Mr. Hamilton,
We write to follow up on our unanswered inquiry dated February 14, 2025, about the “Department of Government Efficiency’s” (DOGE) reported access to sensitive disaster victim data. Recent reports that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has fired hundreds of personnel and frozen certain grants have deepened our concerns about FEMA’s capacity to quickly respond to disasters and help communities prepare for future disasters.
Our constituents—rebuilding from severe flooding in Vermont, Minnesota, Connecticut, and Massachusetts, as well as catastrophic wildfires in Hawaii, New Mexico, Oregon, and California—have experienced first-hand the shortcomings of the federal approach to disaster resilience and recovery. Instead of addressing their needs and concerns, the Trump Administration has taken a sledgehammer to the foundation of FEMA. We agree FEMA needs fixing, but effective reform requires thoughtful and precise solutions, not brute force and arbitrary terminations.
Last month, FEMA fired over 200 probationary employees, including new hires and those recently promoted, despite longstanding and severe staffing shortages. The Administration claims only “non-mission critical” personnel were impacted by the firings. However, we have yet to receive any evidence to support that assertion. Instead, reporting indicates that these firings will undermine federal disaster response and hamper FEMA’s ability to provide critical support to our constituents.
The Administration is now reportedly planning to fire even more FEMA employees. We know every $1 spent on disaster resilience and preparedness ultimately saves the country $13. Mass firings at FEMA will almost certainly delay the implementation of these cost-saving resiliency measures—at the expense of the American taxpayer and disaster-impacted communities.
In addition to mass firings, stakeholders have informed us that the Administration has suspended disbursement of certain FEMA grants. In Vermont, a federal subrecipient received notice that it could not access its Next Generation Warning System grant to modernize aging broadcast equipment and emergency alert systems. Moreover, in Oregon, a local health care provider has been unable to move forward with a multi-million-dollar project essential for enhancing emergency response capabilities and capacity due to the agency-wide communications freeze. These apparent freezes have left frontline organizations in limbo and our communities in jeopardy.
The Administration’s destructive approach will not assist the disaster-impacted communities across the country hoping to rebuild and move forward. To the contrary, it will leave the nation more vulnerable to future disasters and less prepared to pick up the pieces when the dust settles.
To keep our communities safe, we request a prompt response to the questions posed in our prior letter, referenced above, as well as responses to the following questions no later than March 31, 2025:
Sincerely,
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