In a significant policy shift, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has reinstated 14 employees who were placed on paid administrative leave for publicly opposing agency policies. The move comes under the leadership of new Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin, who has also reversed several controversial measures implemented by his predecessor, Kristi Noem.
Reinstatement of Dissenting Employees
The 14 FEMA staff members were among over 190 current and former employees who signed the "Katrina Declaration" in August 2025, warning that policy decisions by the Trump administration risked a disaster similar to Hurricane Katrina. These 14 were the only active employees to include their names, and they were subsequently placed on indefinite paid administrative leave. After eight months, they received emails on Wednesday informing them that the investigation into their actions was closed and instructing them to return to work on Thursday.
Abby McIlraith, a FEMA emergency management specialist and one of the reinstated workers, expressed relief, stating, "I feel pretty vindicated, and like we did the right thing." She noted that they had been briefly reinstated in December only to be placed on leave again the next day, leaving her cautious about the permanence of this reinstatement. Nonetheless, she returned to her office in Maryland on Thursday, awaiting access to her work devices.
Policy Reversals Under Mullin
Secretary Mullin has quickly moved away from the stricter FEMA policies of his predecessor. He revoked Noem's requirement that her office approve any DHS expenditure over $100,000 and has released more than $1 billion in backlogged FEMA grants and reimbursements to states, tribes, and territories since taking office last month. A FEMA spokesperson stated that the agency is taking "targeted steps to stabilize our workforce and strengthen readiness" ahead of the 2026 Atlantic hurricane season and the FIFA World Cup, both beginning in June.
The Dissent Letter's Concerns
The Katrina Declaration, released on August 25, 2025, criticized several policies, including the DHS decision to reassign FEMA employees to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the failure to appoint a qualified FEMA administrator, and cuts to mitigation programs, preparedness training, and the workforce. It also called for FEMA to be removed from DHS and restored to a Cabinet-level agency.
Contract Extensions for Term-Limited Employees
FEMA leadership has also announced extensions for some term-limited employees in the Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees (CORE), which constitutes about half of the agency's staff. Over 10,000 CORE employees work on two-to-four-year assignments. The agency had stopped renewing some contracts at the start of 2026 and extended others by only 90 days, leading to a lawsuit. An internal email this week indicated that CORE employees with contracts ending between January and May 2026 who received 90-day extensions may be reappointed for up to one year, and eligible reservists will be renewed for two years. The 7,000 reservists have contracts expiring May 2.
While FEMA has not confirmed the return of all non-renewed CORE employees, a source familiar with the matter said at least one has been called back. The agency continues to operate without a permanent administrator, and President Trump has repeatedly criticized FEMA, even threatening to abolish it. Next week, the Trump-appointed FEMA Review Council is expected to present a report proposing sweeping changes to the agency.
