FEMA workers reinstated after suspension and investigation over letter criticizing Trump’s overhaul of agency

By Gabe Cohen, CNN

(CNN) — A group of FEMA workers has been reinstated after three months of forced leave and an investigation into alleged misconduct for signing an open letter to Congress that criticized the Trump administration’s overhaul of the disaster relief agency and warned it could put American lives in danger.

More than a dozen workers received reinstatement notices from the Federal Emergency Management Agency last week, according to multiple sources and internal emails reviewed by CNN. “The misconduct investigation has been closed, and as a result you are being removed from Administrative Leave,” one email said. Some of the staffers have already reported back to work, while others will rejoin their teams this week.

“I was dumbfounded,” said Virginia Case, a FEMA external affairs officer who was among those reinstated. “I really did think we were going to get terminated.”

FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security, which oversees the agency, did not respond to CNN’s request for comment.

The controversy began in August, when more than 190 current and former FEMA officials signed what became known as the “Katrina Declaration.” The letter warned Congress that the Trump administration’s efforts to dismantle FEMA could put American lives at risk, raising fears of another failed federal disaster response on the scale of Hurricane Katrina.

Most signers remained anonymous, but a handful of current staff — including Case — publicly signed their names. Within days, those employees were placed on paid leave.

“Change is always hard,” a FEMA spokesperson said in a statement at the time. “It is especially for those invested in the status quo, who have forgotten that their duty is to the American people not entrenched bureaucracy.”

FEMA launched formal misconduct investigations in September, summoning the outspoken staffers for interviews. The Trump administration had already suspended or fired more than 100 employees at the Environmental Protection Agency for a similar act of dissent earlier in the summer.

In mid-November, one of the FEMA workers received a termination notice as the others remained under investigation. But the employee appealed, and in a sudden reversal, that staffer was among those told last week they could return to work, multiple sources told CNN. David Seide, senior counsel for the Government Accountability Project, which represents some of the workers, said FEMA management emailed the employee to say agency lawyers had determined that signing the letter was protected by whistleblower laws.

Another reinstated worker was told by their supervisor that the investigation found they “didn’t abide by policy” but were “protected by the whistleblower act,” according to a message viewed by CNN.

“This case is important precedent,” Seide told CNN. “It reaffirms what should be obvious. That it is unlawful to retaliate against federal employees who exercise their free speech and whistleblower rights by publicly dissenting against agency policies.”

However, some of the reinstated FEMA staffers fear they could still face additional retaliation.

“I don’t think that it’s over yet. I think it’s still an evolving situation,” said Abby McIlraith, a FEMA emergency management specialist who was reinstated. “But I know that I didn’t do anything wrong, so I feel pretty vindicated and happy to be back and be able to see my co-workers and do my job again.”

Case, who returned to work Wednesday, said she had considered resigning to avoid being blacklisted from federal service.

“We were willing to put our jobs on the line for our values,” Case said. “I’m grateful that we’re able to go back and continue supporting these communities and these survivors.”

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