US Judge Blocks Trump's FEMA Staff Cut Plan
A US judge ruled Trump's plan to cut FEMA staff was unlawful. The plan aimed to cut Federal Emergency Management Agency staffing by 50%.
Judge Susan Illston said the cuts would hurt FEMA's disaster response. FEMA responds to emergencies and natural disasters across the United States.
Illston found Homeland Security officials ordered the plan. This happened despite objections from FEMA's own supervisors.
She said the plan broke rules from after Hurricane Katrina. Those rules protect FEMA's staffing and disaster-response duties.
The ruling did not specify what should happen next. The case was part of a larger lawsuit.
Federal employee unions filed it over Trump administration workforce cuts. The 50% cuts were never actually carried out.
But FEMA later lost some workers anyway. FEMA rehired some of those workers later.
Key Terms 4
- FEMA US agency that responds to emergencies and natural disasters.
- Susan Illston The federal judge who made this ruling.
- Hurricane Katrina rules Laws made after Katrina to protect FEMA's disaster response power.
- Department of Homeland Security US government agency that oversees FEMA.