"Firings and budget cuts could slow emergency disaster response and weaken resilience efforts."
"One month into the new Trump administration, firings of scientists and freezes to U.S. research funding have caused an unprecedented elimination of scientific expertise from the federal government. Proposed and ongoing cuts to agencies like the National Weather Service and the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, could hobble efforts to keep Americans safe during and after disasters. Meanwhile, slashed funding for climate research risks blindfolding the U.S. as the dangers from climate change escalate in the coming years and decades, scientists warn.
When Hurricanes Helene and Milton – both made more destructive by climate change – devastated the Southeast last fall, workers at the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, oversaw the government’s effort to rescue survivors and aid the recovery. FEMA has been key, too, in bolstering the country’s long-term resilience efforts, such as elevating flood-prone homes and installing drainage works.
But mass layoffs of probationary employees – a civil service classification that typically encompasses new hires but can also include military veterans, longtime employees who’ve switched positions, or those who were hired on a fast track or work with a disability – and sudden departures within the deferred resignation program put in place by Elon Musk’s DOGE unit have led to a loss of about 1,000 of FEMA’s 25,000 employees. The Washington Post reported that one of the agency staffers fired was a 15-year employee and a chief for the National Flood Insurance Program. According to the Washington Post, another wave of firings is expected, targeting employees who work in climate-related diversity, equity, and inclusion programs."
Jeff Masters and Bob Henson report for Yale Climate Connections February 21, 2025.
Advertisement 
