WASHINGTON — A group of 21 FEMA employees has been placed on administrative leave following their involvement in signing an open letter that criticized the Trump administration’s disaster response strategies. This was confirmed by Colette Delawalla, who founded the issuing organization, Stand Up for Science, to NBC News.

Colette Delawalla, also serving as the executive director of Stand Up for Science, reported that among those placed on leave, two employees were involved in addressing the severe flooding in Kerr County, Texas. They received notice of their leave while still responding to the July disaster.

The letter, endorsed by nearly 200 FEMA employees with about three dozen signatories, pointed to a significant shift from the agency’s intended direction post-Hurricane Katrina under President Trump. It warned of the “current trajectory” of FEMA and aimed to alert agency heads, lawmakers, and the public to these issues.

The letter criticized the agency’s leadership for lacking “legal qualifications, Senate approval, and the necessary background for a FEMA administrator.” It accused these leaders and Homeland Secretary Kristi Noem of actions that “erode FEMA’s abilities and undermine the partnerships with State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) partners,” harming effective emergency management by dismissing experienced personnel.

The letter highlighted delays, such as Noem’s policy of reviewing agency spending over $100,000, which slowed down response times during critical flooding in Kerrville. Concerns included cuts to risk reduction initiatives, interference in preparedness programs with state and local governments, censorship of climate science, and a steep decline in staff at FEMA.

The Washington Post first reported that employees involved in the letter had been placed on leave.

When asked for a response to the letter, a FEMA spokesperson remarked that it was “not surprising” for “long-standing bureaucrats” to resist reform efforts after years of perceived inefficiency.

“Change is always hard. It is especially for those invested in the status quo, who have forgotten that their duty is to the American people not entrenched bureaucracy,” the spokesperson said. “Under the leadership of Secretary Noem, FEMA will return to its mission of assisting Americans at their most vulnerable.”

Delwalla said that the decision to put employees on leave “underscores the many issues these public servants described in their declaration and their bravery in standing up for Americans in need.”

“Once again, we are seeing the federal government retaliate against our civil servants for whistleblowing — which is both illegal and a deep betrayal of the most dedicated among us,” Delwalla added. “DHS said that these employees are simply ‘afraid of change’ which is an insult to anyone working at FEMA, the agency directly responsive to rapidly intensifying and changing circumstances. Stand Up for Science is proud to have hosted their Katrina Declaration and we stand by the FEMA 36.”

In addition to targeting FEMA with severe cuts, the Trump administration has sent mixed messages about whether the agency should continue to exist. The president said in June that he wanted the federal agency to wind down after the hurricane season ends. Just a few weeks later, in June, Noem said on NBC News’ “Meet the Press” that Trump didn’t want the agency to be eliminated but to undergo an overhaul.