Washington, DC — Today, Chair of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Peter DeFazio (D-OR); Chair of the House Committee on Homeland Security Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS); Ranking Member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Gary Peters (D-MI); Chair of the Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management Dina Titus (D-NV); and Chair of the Subcommittee on Emergency Preparedness, Response, & Recovery Donald M. Payne, Jr. (D-NJ) sent a letter to Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Peter T. Gaynor expressing concerns over longstanding senior leadership vacancies at the Agency, including both Deputy Administrator roles, which have each been without permanent appointees for six months. The lawmakers also noted their disappointment with FEMA’s compliance with its own succession plan, signed earlier this year by the Agency and approved by the Department of Homeland Security.
In their letter, the Committee Leaders wrote: “We have strong concerns that unless experienced and qualified personnel are selected for the myriad of senior leadership vacancies at your Agency, FEMA will be ill prepared to fulfill its responsibilities to the American public should additional events transpire requiring Federal emergency management support.”
The Members continued: “Any of these vacancies or decisions in isolation could be understandable, but together they are indicative of a pattern of neglect. Given FEMA’s critical mission, these vacancies are simply unacceptable, and we urge you to work with the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security and the White House to identify qualified emergency managers to fill these vacancies before a catastrophic disaster befalls our nation.”
Chairs DeFazio and Titus have repeatedly sounded the alarm about unfilled FEMA leadership positions, including at a March 11, 2020, hearing with Administrator Gaynor.
A full copy of the letter can be found here and below.
July 21, 2020
The Honorable Peter T. Gaynor
Administrator
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA)
500 C Street SW
Washington, DC 20024-2523
Dear Administrator Gaynor:
We write today to formally express our concern regarding vacancies in senior leadership positions at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) as well as disappointment with the Agency’s compliance with its own succession plan, signed by you earlier this year and approved by the Department of Homeland Security.
Despite both the primary and secondary Deputy Administrator roles being vacant for six months – one as a result of your confirmation to be Administrator, and the other a result of the departure of Daniel Kaniewski – President Trump has failed to name nominees to fill either of the Deputy Administrator positions. Further, we recently learned that the senior FEMA official performing the responsibilities of the primary Deputy Administrator, Carlos Castillo – who is concurrently serving as the Acting Deputy Administrator for Resilience, which is the secondary Deputy Administrator position – will be departing FEMA before the end of the month.
Given the responsibilities entrusted to FEMA by Presidential Policy Directive-40, you and your Agency know the importance of continuity planning. In January, you approved updates to FEMA’s leadership succession charts, contained in Annexes J, AB, and AC of the DHS Orders of Succession and Delegations of Authorities for Named Positions, Delegation No. 00106. Rather than follow your own succession plan, FEMA instead established a new, career position with a nearly identical set of roles and responsibilities as the primary Deputy Administrator, which was then filled in a non-competitive manner.
We have strong concerns that unless experienced and qualified personnel are selected for the myriad of senior leadership vacancies at your Agency, FEMA will be ill prepared to fulfill its responsibilities to the American public should additional events transpire requiring Federal emergency management support.
As you know, FEMA’s capabilities are already stretched thin due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the countless ongoing recoveries from significant disaster activity in recent years. To make matters worse, we are about to enter month three of hurricane season, wildfire season is underway, and earthquakes are a persistent threat along various major and minor faults across the country.
Any of these vacancies or decisions in isolation could be understandable, but together they are indicative of a pattern of neglect. Given FEMA’s critical mission, these vacancies are simply unacceptable, and we urge you to work with the Acting Secretary of Homeland Security and the White House to identify qualified emergency managers to fill these vacancies before a catastrophic disaster befalls our nation.
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