This week, a coalition of unions and nonprofit organizations filed a lawsuit to block the Trump administration’s plan to cut more than 10,000 positions at FEMA – the Federal Emergency Management Agency. According to court filings, the Department of Homeland Security has directed FEMA management to prepare for a 50 percent reduction in staffing, with some cuts already underway as temporary workers’ contracts go unrenewed. More about Trump’s plan here, here.
I, for one, am appalled by the proposed cuts and applaud the filing of this lawsuit. And I express my profound admiration and gratitude for FEMA and the public servants who carry out the agency’s mission – no matter the exposures, the weather, the safety risks. These are the people who run toward danger when everyone else is running away.
Natural disasters don’t wait for political showmanship or debates. They don’t care about budget battles or so-called government efficiency initiatives. When a hurricane slams into the coast, when wildfires rage through communities, when tornadoes tear through towns, when a chemical plant explodes, Americans want and need one thing above all else: a coordinated, experienced, and well-staffed federal response. That’s exactly what the Federal Emergency Management Agency provides—and what is now at risk.
Who Are FEMA Workers?
FEMA workers are the professionals who coordinate disaster response across local, state, and federal levels. They’re the experts who arrive within hours of a catastrophe to assess damage, set up emergency operations centers, and connect devastated communities with the resources they need to survive and rebuild.
They are the people Americans depend on when disasters occur. Cutting this critical national resource is short-sighted and dangerous. As AFGE National President Everett Kelley aptly put it: “Secretary Noem’s attempts to dismantle FEMA are among the most egregious actions taken by this administration. All Americans rely on the dedicated FEMA Workforce, who devote their careers to helping people in their most desperate moments…AFGE is proud to stand up for our members at FEMA and for the American Public’s right to a government that is ready and able to respond when disaster strikes.”
Why Federal Coordination Matters
Some have suggested that states should simply handle disaster response on their own. Maybe Mr. Trump is of the same mind, if he’s thinking clearly at all. But this fundamentally misunderstands how catastrophic disasters work. When a major hurricane devastates multiple states simultaneously, when wildfires consume entire regions, when earthquakes strike with no warning, when chemical clouds cross borders, individual states—no matter how well-prepared—cannot go it alone.
They need federal coordination to:
- Deploy resources from unaffected areas to disaster zones quickly.
- Provide specialized expertise that no single state maintains full-time.
- Coordinate across state lines when disasters span regions.
- Access federal funding and equipment that states cannot afford independently.
- Maintain institutional knowledge from decades of disaster response.
FEMA was granted greater autonomy and protection through the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006, legislation passed specifically because the failures of Hurricane Katrina revealed what happens when disaster response is inadequate. That law recognizes something vital: emergency management cannot be subject to political whims or budget cuts during times of relative calm. Disasters are going to happen, and when they do, it’s too late to rebuild the infrastructure of response.
The Real-World Consequences
What happens when you slash FEMA’s workforce? The answer isn’t abstract—it’s measured in real lives, homes, and communities.
It means slower response times, more confusion, less coordination, and more families left to fend for themselves. Experienced professionals who understand how to navigate complex federal systems are gone. Local governments and first responders lose their federal partners. Families wait longer for help that is too late or may never arrive.
And climate change isn’t making disasters less frequent or less severe—it’s doing the exact opposite. This is precisely the moment we should be strengthening our disaster response capacity, not gutting it.
President Bush learned too late in the wake of Hurricane Katrina the price that the nation’s leaders pay for not preparing for a disaster or responding adequately.
Legal Challenges and Congressional Intent
The lawsuit filed by unions and nonprofits alleges that the staffing cuts violate the 2006 Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act, which restricts the DHS secretary’s ability to make sweeping overhauls and staff reductions at FEMA. This isn’t regulatory overreach—it’s Congress recognizing that disaster preparedness requires stability and cannot be dismantled at the whim of any single administration.
The lawsuit argues that the cuts were not approved by Congress and violate recent legislation that barred federal layoffs. In other words, these reductions are proceeding despite legislative protections designed to prevent exactly this scenario.
Beyond Politics
Disaster doesn’t discriminate by political party. Red states and blue states alike need FEMA. Rural communities and urban centers both rely on federal disaster response. Conservative and progressive Americans all face the same reality: when catastrophe strikes, we need experienced professionals who know how to help.
Even the most conservative citizens who believe that the federal government should be limited to national security should support FEMA. Because what is FEMA but an agency that protects the safety of Americans at home?
The dedicated women and men who work for FEMA aren’t partisan actors. They’re highly skilled public servants who have chosen careers focused on helping their fellow Americans during the worst moments of their lives. They deserve our support, not budget cuts that undermine their mission.
What’s at Stake?
The stakes are not theoretical. They’re your neighbor whose home was destroyed by a tornado. They’re the small business owner trying to rebuild after a flood. They’re the first responders who need federal coordination and resources to do their jobs. They’re the elderly couple evacuated from a wildfire who need help finding temporary housing.
As Skye Perryman, President and CEO of Democracy Forward noted in a statement regarding a lawsuit challenging FEMA staffing cuts: “Gutting the staff responsible for disaster preparedness and response does not make the country safer; it leaves families, local governments, and first responders without the support they rely on when emergencies strike.” In other words, it leaves Americans vulnerable exactly when they need help most.
Moving Forward
The lawsuit seeking to block these cuts represents more than union advocacy—it’s a fight for the principle that some government functions are too critical to be subject to political experimentation. Disaster response is one of those functions.
We need to support FEMA workers not just with our words. Congress must provide the resources and staffing necessary for them to do their jobs. We need to recognize that the infrastructure of disaster response—the people, the systems, the expertise—cannot be dismantled and then quickly reassembled when the next catastrophe arrives.
Because the next disaster is coming. It always does. And when it does, Americans deserve to know that the full resources and expertise of the federal government will be there to help them survive, recover, and rebuild.
That’s not a partisan position. That’s basic humanity—and good old common sense.