DEKALB COUNTY, Ga. — The Federal Emergency Management Agency confirmed the agency is implementing a hiring freeze.
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Channel 2′s Audrey Washington obtained an email sent March 21 from the agency that notified employees of the hiring freeze and term position renewals it said were in step with President Donald Trump’s executive order.
“People are just stressed out and we’re here just trying to help folks,” said a FEMA employee who asked not to be identified for fear of retaliation.
“It was a gut punch,” he added.
In a statement sent to Washington, a FEMA representative wrote:
“In order to get American citizens the rapid relief they deserve and demand, we are cutting out wasteful spending and bureaucracy that slows down relief efforts. President Trump and Secretary Noem know that disaster recovery efforts are best led by state and local officials not federal bureaucrats.”
“The work that will be required to respond to those types of disasters will be severely hindered,” the FEMA worker said.
Washington asked the employee why he was speaking out.
“I thought long and hard about it and I came to the conclusion that something had to be said,” he answered.
The employee said with storms and tornadoes touching down in Georgia, he fears how disaster relief efforts will be impacted if there’s a reduction in staff.
“When these tornadoes hit, it’s a life-or-death situation,” the FEMA employee explained. “And after the storm moves out, we are the people who come in and help and people are depending on us.”
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In a past tweet, Trump blasted FEMA and wrote that the agency “spent tens of millions of dollars in Democrat areas … individual states should handle storms, etc. as they come, big savings, far more efficient.”
“Everybody at the office is on pins and needles. Everybody is afraid,” the FEMA worker said.
FEMA went on to state that the renewal review applies to the majority of the FEMA workforce.
The FEMA employee who spoke with Washington said some employees at the Atlanta office are already preparing to leave.
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