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FEMA employees placed on leave after claiming Trump leadership could spark next Hurricane Katrina
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Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employees who signed an open letter slamming the Trump administration’s leadership of the office have been placed on leave, with FEMA leadership subsequently slamming the «bureaucrats who presided over decades of inefficiency» for «objecting to reform.»
More than 190 current and former FEMA employees signed an open letter Monday criticizing the Trump administration, criticizing leaders they say lack the qualifications to oversee an agency focused on the nation’s preparation and response to disasters. The letter claimed a catastrophe on par with Hurricane Katrina could unfold due to the current climate of the office.
By Wednesday morning, more than a dozen FEMA employees who signed the letter were placed on leave, The Washington Post reported.
«It is not surprising that some of the same bureaucrats who presided over decades of inefficiency are now objecting to reform,» a FEMA spokesperson told Fox News Digital when asked about the letter and employees who were placed on leave. «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.»
KENTUCKY GOVERNOR PRAISES FEMA UNDER TRUMP, SAYS ITS A ‘CREDIT TO HIS ADMINISTRATION’
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and President Donald Trump have publicly voiced dissatisfaction with FEMA since taking office earlier in 2025. (Getty Images/Alex Brandon)
The spokesperson did not reveal how many FEMA employees were placed on leave after the letter’s publication.
«Under the Biden administration, the American people were abandoned as disasters ravaged North Carolina and needed aid was denied based on party affiliation in Florida,» the spokesperson continued. «Our obligation is to survivors, not to protecting broken systems. Under the leadership of Secretary Noem, FEMA will return to its mission of assisting Americans at their most vulnerable.»
The nonprofit Stand Up for Science published the open letter Monday, directed to Congress, claiming FEMA is led by individuals who lack the «legal qualifications, Senate approval, and the demonstrated background» to oversee federal disaster preparation and response. The letter took direct aim at FEMA and Department of Homeland Security leaders such as Secretary Kristi Noem.
«Decisions made by FEMA’s Senior Official Performing the Duties of the Administrator (SOPDA) David Richardson, Former SOPDA Cameron Hamilton, and Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem erode the capacity of FEMA and our State, Local, Tribal, and Territorial (SLTT) partners, hinder the swift execution of our mission, and dismiss experienced staff whose institutional knowledge and relationships are vital to ensure effective emergency management,» the letter claimed.
SENATOR PETER WELCH: I’M A DEMOCRAT AND WE NEED TO FIX FEMA WITH LOCAL CONTROL
Hurricane Katrina in 2005 was one of the worst disasters to hit the United States in recent history, leading to 1,833 fatalities, more than $100 billion in damages and thousands of homeless New Orleanians, data from the National Weather Service shows. The letter claimed that such a disaster could rock the U.S. again due to the current state of the agency.
«Hurricane Katrina was not just a natural disaster, but a man-made one: the inexperience of senior leaders and the profound failure by the federal government to deliver timely, unified, and effective aid to those in need left survivors to fend for themselves for days, and highlighted how Black, Indigenous, and low-income communities are disproportionally affected by disasters,» the letter states.
TRUMP ADMINISTRATION’S TEXAS FLOOD DISASTER RESPONSE ‘FUNDAMENTALLY DIFFERENT’ FROM BIDEN’S APPROACH: NOEM
President Donald Trump visiting Texas after devastating flash flooding in July 2025. (Chip Somodevilla/Getty Images)
«These failures prompted Congress to pass the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act of 2006 (PKEMRA), which introduced safeguards to ensure such shortcomings of disaster preparation and response would not be repeated,» it continued. «However, two decades later, FEMA is enacting processes and leadership structures that echo the conditions PKEMRA was designed to prevent.»
President Donald Trump and Noem have both expressed dissatisfaction with FEMA since taking their respective offices. Trump warned just days after his inauguration that the agency would face a reckoning over its failures to respond to the devastating floods that rocked North Carolina when Hurricane Helene ripped through the southeastern U.S. in September 2024.
NOEM SAYS CRITICISM OF FEDERAL RESPONSE TO TEXAS FLOODING IS ‘ALL POLITICS’: ‘DISSERVICE TO OUR COUNTRY’
«Get rid of FEMA the way it exists today,» Noem said in February on CNN when asked what she would advise Trump if he asked her to do away with the agency.
Both Noem and Trump have advocated for local officials — such as county emergency management directors, mayors, city council members and commissioners — to lead disaster preparation and response as opposed to federal leadership.
FEMA employees signed an open letter slamming the Trump administration’s leadership of the agency. (Kevin Dietsch/Getty Images)
The letter published Monday included the full names of at least 35 former and current FEMA employees, while the majority were «unlisted» signatures.
Signatories took issue with six initiatives under the Trump administration specifically, including «reduction in capability of FEMA to perform its missions,» the «failure to appoint a qualified FEMA administrator,» the «reduction of FEMA’s disaster workforce» and «the censorship of climate science, environmental protection, and efforts to ensure all communities have access to information, resources.»
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FEMA is led by David Richardson, who replaced former acting FEMA chief Cameron Hamilton in May after Hamilton’s departure from the agency just days after telling members of Congress that he does not believe FEMA should be eliminated.
disasters,white house,fema,congress,politics
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Walz proposes $10M business relief package as Republicans cry ‘new avenue for fraud’ in Minnesota
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Minnesota Democratic Gov. Tim Walz was slammed online by Republicans after proposing a $10 million emergency relief package for small businesses across the state impacted by the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown.
Walz unveiled the proposal Thursday after Border Czar Tom Homan announced that Operation Metro Surge in Minnesota would be ending. The proposal calls for forgivable loans ranging from $2,500 to $25,000 to be distributed to eligible businesses that are able to demonstrate «substantial revenue loss» during «specified dates» tied to the operation.
«The campaign of retribution by the federal administration has been more than a short-term disruption; it has inflicted long-term damage on Minnesota communities,» Walz said in a statement. «Recovery will not happen overnight. Families, workers, and business owners are feeling the effects, and our responsibility is clear: we will help rebuild, stabilize these businesses, protect jobs, and ensure Minnesota’s economy can recover and thrive.»
Republicans quickly criticized the proposal as Minnesota continues to face extensive fraud allegations.
CONVICTED MINNESOTA FRAUDSTER ALLEGES WALZ, ELLISON WERE AWARE OF WIDESPREAD FRAUD
Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz proposed a $10 million emergency relief package for small businesses impacted by the Trump administration’s immigration crackdown. (Jerry Holt/The Minnesota Star Tribune via Getty Images)
President Donald Trump previously claimed that fraud in Minnesota exceeded $19 billion.
Dozens of people have been prosecuted in Minnesota in recent years for alleged large-scale welfare fraud schemes involving food assistance and autism services. Federal prosecutors have alleged the schemes stole hundreds of millions of dollars from taxpayer-funded programs, with separate investigations also examining alleged fraud in the state’s daycare system.
House Majority Whip Tom Emmer, R-Minn. reacted to the governor’s proposal on X, saying, «BREAKING: Tim Walz opens up a new avenue for fraud in Minnesota.»
NOEM HAMMERS WALZ, FREY FOR IGNORING 1,360 ICE DETAINERS FOR CRIMINAL ILLEGAL ALIENS
Democratic Minnesota Gov. Tim Walz speaks to reporters after he announced that he would not seek reelection, at the Minnesota State Capitol on Jan. 5, 2026. (Reuters/Tim Evans)
Minnesota Republican state Sen. Michael Holmstrom said on X that the proposal would be an «immediate NO from me,» adding that Minnesota taxpayers «do not deserve to have more money stolen from them.»
Others referenced fraud related to Minnesota’s daycare system, including Rep. Eli Crane, R-Ariz., who responded to the proposal on X, «Does that include learing centers?»
His post referenced a typo that read «Quality Learing Center,» which was eventually corrected. The Quality Learning Center was infamously featured in a video by YouTuber Nick Shirley, who visited multiple daycare centers across Minnesota that allegedly received public funds but were not providing any services.
SCOOP: THOUSANDS OF VIOLENT ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS ARRESTED IN MINNESOTA AS ADMIN VOWS ‘WE WILL NOT BACK DOWN’
Gov. Tim Walz unveiled an emergency loan plan tied to the economic impact of federal immigration enforcement under President Donald Trump. (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images and Tibrina Hobson/Getty Images)
The governor’s office included a statement from Henry Garnica, the owner of CentroMex in East St. Paul, who said the past few months during the immigration operation have been «some of the hardest I’ve experienced as a business owner.»
«Sales are down, we have limited hours, and we have had to change how we operate,» he stated. That’s not who we are as a neighborhood store. This proposed forgivable loan package would give businesses like mine breathing room — to keep employees on payroll and keep our doors open. For some of us, it could mean the difference between surviving and closing for good.»
On Thursday, Walz demanded that the federal government «pay for what they broke» after the Trump administration said it would draw down its presence in the Twin Cities.
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Walz said during a news conference that federal law enforcement’s presence in the state was leaving «deep damage» and «generational trauma.»
Fox News Digital’s Michael Dorgan contributed to this report.
minnesota,tim walz,tom homan,small business under siege
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USS Ford ordered to the Middle East, the second aircraft carrier being sent to the region
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The USS Gerald R. Ford has been ordered to move from the Caribbean Sea to the Middle East, as President Donald Trump weighs whether to take military action against Iran amid tensions in the region, a U.S. official confirmed to Fox News.
This will put two aircraft carriers and their accompanying warships in the region. The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and three guided-missile destroyers arrived in the Middle East more than two weeks ago.
The USS Ford, which set out on deployment in June 2025, was sent from the Mediterranean Sea to the Caribbean last fall as the administration established a significant military presence ahead of the operation to strike Venezuela and capture its president, Nicolás Maduro.
SCOTT BESSENT SAYS IRAN UNDERSTANDS ‘BRUTE FORCE’ AS TRUMP WEIGHS OPTIONS AMID NUCLEAR STANDOFF
The USS Gerald R. Ford has been ordered to move from the Caribbean Sea to the Middle East. (Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Ridge Leoni/U.S. Navy via AP)
On Thursday, Trump warned Iran that failure to reach a deal with the U.S. regarding its nuclear program would be «very traumatic» after the two countries held indirect talks in Oman last week.
«It should happen quickly. They should agree very quickly,» he told reporters.
The move will put two aircraft carriers and their accompanying warships in the region. (Jonathan Klein/AFP via Getty Images)
Trump held talks with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Wednesday and said he insisted to the Israeli leader that negotiations with Iran must continue.
TRUMP SAYS IRANIAN SUPREME LEADER KHAMENEI SHOULD BE ‘VERY WORRIED’ AMID TENSIONS
The USS Abraham Lincoln aircraft carrier and three guided-missile destroyers arrived in the Middle East more than two weeks ago. (Mike Blake/Reuters)
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Netanyahu is calling on the Trump administration to push Tehran to scale back its ballistic missile program and end its support for terror groups such as Hamas and Hezbollah as part of any deal.
Fox News’ Jennifer Griffin and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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El Partido Nacionalista de Bangladesh se adjudicó una victoria electoral “aplastante” y Tarique Rahman se perfila como primer ministro
El Partido Nacionalista de Bangladesh (BNP) se adjudicó una victoria contundente en las elecciones parlamentarias celebradas el viernes, la cual marcó el regreso del partido al poder tras el levantamiento de 2024 y el fin de 15 años de gobierno de la jeque y ex primera ministra de Bangladesh, Sheikh Hasina.
Su líder, Tarique Rahman, está a punto de convertirse en primer ministro, según los resultados provisionales. El líder del BNP, Ruhul Kabir Rizvi, declaró una “victoria aplastante” y pidió a sus seguidores celebrar el resultado con oraciones en mezquitas, en vez de manifestaciones en las calles.
Miles de simpatizantes esperaron los resultados frente a las oficinas del partido durante la noche.
La embajada de Estados Unidos en Dhaka felicitó al vencedor de los comicios y al BNP por lo que calificó como una “victoria histórica”, según un comunicado de la embajada estadounidense en Dhaka.
El primer ministro de India, Narendra Modi, celebró la victoria del partido y congratuló a su líder: “Transmito mis más sinceras felicitaciones al Sr. Tarique Rahman por liderar al BNP hacia una victoria decisiva en las elecciones parlamentarias de Bangladesh. Esta victoria demuestra la confianza del pueblo bangladesí en su liderazgo. La India seguirá apoyando un Bangladesh democrático, progresista e inclusivo”
A las 8:00 am (horario local) del viernes, las proyecciones de medios locales indicaban que el BNP superó el umbral necesario para una clara mayoría en el Parlamento, con el canal Jamuna estimando 212 escaños para el partido.
La coalición islamista liderada por Jamaat-e-Islami, que realizó una campaña centrada en la justicia y la lucha contra la corrupción, alcanzó 70 escaños, un avance significativo respecto a elecciones previas.
La Comisión Electoral, que aún no ha publicado los resultados finales, anunció que el cómputo definitivo se dará a conocer el viernes por la mañana para 299 de los 300 distritos electorales. Otros 50 escaños, reservados a mujeres, serán asignados a partir de listas partidarias.
La votación transcurrió en su mayoría de manera pacífica, aunque la campaña estuvo marcada por enfrentamientos que causaron cinco muertes y más de 600 heridos. Observadores de la ONU advirtieron sobre un clima de intolerancia, desinformación y amenazas durante el proceso electoral.
El líder interino Muhammad Yunus, quien asumió tras la destitución de Hasina en agosto de 2024 y cuya administración prohibió la participación del parido de la jeque, instó a la calma y a la unidad nacional hasta la transición del poder.
Yunus, Premio Nobel de la Paz, impulsó una carta de reforma democrática que fue sometida a referéndum junto con las elecciones, y las proyecciones apuntan a un respaldo mayoritario del electorado.
Desde su escondite en la India, Hasina, condenada a muerte en ausencia, calificó las elecciones como “ilegales e inconstitucionales”. Entretanto, Rahman y el BNP celebran un triunfo que sus dirigentes interpretan como un mandato para dejar atrás los años de represión y renovar el sistema político bangladesí.
“Esta victoria era esperada. No es de extrañar que el pueblo de Bangladesh haya depositado su confianza en un partido (…) capaz de hacer realidad los sueños que nuestros jóvenes imaginaron durante el levantamiento”, reivindicó este viernes a la agencia AFP Salahuddin Ahmed, miembro destacado del comité del BNP.
El político eclipsado durante mucho tiempo por sus padres y heredero de una de las dinastías políticas más poderosas de Bangladesh, finalmente saltó a la fama.
A sus 60 años, el líder del Partido Nacionalista de Bangladesh (BNP) se prepara para hacerse cargo de la nación del sur de Asia de 170 millones de habitantes, impulsado por lo que él llama una ambición de “hacerlo mejor”.
Su ascenso marca un cambio notable para un hombre que regresó a Bangladesh en diciembre después de 17 años de exilio en Gran Bretaña, lejos de las tormentas políticas de Dhaka.
Ampliamente conocido como Tarique Zia, lleva un nombre político que ha marcado cada etapa de su vida. Tenía 15 años cuando su padre, el presidente Ziaur Rahman, fue asesinado en 1981.
(Con información de AFP)
Domestic,Politics,Asia / Pacific,Government / Politics
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