The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has begun offering new appointments to disaster workers whose contracts were not renewed in January, reversing a controversial decision that prompted legal action. An attorney representing the Trump administration informed a U.S. District Court in San Francisco on Friday that FEMA has "initiated contact to offer new appointments" to term-limited staff whose contracts expired in the first three weeks of January. The move follows months of uncertainty over the future of FEMA's term-limited disaster workers, who make up roughly half of the agency's workforce.
The notice comes after FEMA reinstated 14 employees who were placed on paid administrative leave for eight months for signing a public letter criticizing FEMA and its parent agency, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS). The actions suggest Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin is shifting away from his predecessor Kristi Noem's approach toward FEMA, before she was fired as DHS leader. The decisions also raise questions about whether the measures are a response to concerns that FEMA might not be prepared for the Atlantic hurricane season and major events like the FIFA World Cup.
FEMA did not immediately respond to questions about the court notice or how many employees received offers to return. On Thursday, a spokesperson told The Associated Press that the agency is "addressing outstanding personnel actions to ensure workforce stability and a strong, deployable surge force for upcoming national events and potential disasters." FEMA’s Cadre of On-Call Response/Recovery Employees (CORE) work on two- to four-year assignments, though they traditionally have been rehired after their contracts expire.