Washington, D.C.—Today, Ranking Member of the House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Rick Larsen (D-WA), Ranking Member of the House Committee on Homeland Security Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS) and the Ranking Members from their relevant subcommittees sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem and the Senior Official Performing the Duties of Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Cameron Hamilton following the illegal termination of four FEMA employees.
“The so-called ‘Department of Government Efficiency’ led by billionaire Elon Musk was granted access to FEMA’s programs and data last week. Since Musk and his team accessed FEMA’s systems, the Agency has been consumed with chaos,” the Members wrote.
“The havoc Musk and his team are wreaking within FEMA will slow the pace of assistance to disaster survivors in places like California, North Carolina, and Florida. FEMA must follow the laws written by Congress and stick to its mission of helping communities before during and after disasters,” the Members continued.
“Further, we are alarmed to hear some administration officials believe the President has the authority to terminate, get rid of, or abolish FEMA. We want to be very clear that under no circumstances does the decision of whether or not FEMA will exist lie unilaterally in the hands of the executive branch, and any attempts to sabotage or destroy FEMA are unlawful, disgraceful, and harmful to the American public,” the Members continued.
To read the full letter, click here.
--30--