Press Releases

U.S. Representative Don Beyer (D-VA) today led 82 U.S. House Representatives in demanding that President Trump immediately reinstate federal employees critical to disaster response and preparedness and fully fund programs critical to protecting Americans from extreme weather events. The lawmakers warn that the Trump Administration’s policies and actions – including the mass firings of disaster experts and scientists, unwinding of key disaster preparedness programs, denials and delays of federal aid, and dissemination of misinformation – actively undermine America’s ability to prepare for and respond to deadly natural disasters and put American lives at risk.

They wrote:

“President Trump:

“Your administration’s actions are increasing the likelihood that Americans will die from extreme weather events.

“Americans are reeling from the devastating impacts of flash floods in New Mexico, Texas, and North Carolina, and those are only the more recent cases. Natural disasters will continue to happen, and yet your administration has moved aggressively to increase the suffering caused by extreme weather events.

• You have fired National Weather Service (NWS), Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) and United States Geological Survey (USGS) staff who model and monitor extreme weather, create flood maps, and respond to natural disasters.

• Your administration has effectively cancelled federal support for flood mitigation nationwide: You announced an intention to eliminate the bipartisan Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program enacted in your first term, which is a cornerstone of our nation’s hazard mitigation strategy to reduce disaster risk and prepare for disasters before they strike; pulled funding from the Flood Mitigation Assistance program for 2025 and removed application access; as well as stopped approving new allocations from the Hazard Mitigation and Grant Program.

• Under your direction, FEMA has denied federal assistance for tornadoes in Arkansas (approved after an appeal), flooding in West Virginia (some approvals after appeal), a windstorm in Washington state, and flooding in western Maryland and Oregon. FEMA also has refused North Carolina’s request for an extension of federal relief and delayed relief to Virginia, as recovery efforts from Helene continue. And the Administration has yet to fulfill the full federal disaster relief funding request for the devasting fires in Los Angeles, and has slowed releasing funds for any FEMA spending over $100,000 until the  Secretary personally signs off.

• Interior has announced the closure of 25 USGS scientific centers that monitor waters for flooding and drought, which helps inform NWS flood warnings

• FEMA also laid off contractors after their contracts expired on July 5, leaving nearly two-thirds of calls to its disaster assistance line unanswered in the critical days after the recent flooding disasters that have left more than 100 dead.

• The elimination of USAID resulted in delayed deployment or no deployment of elite urban search and rescue teams to help disaster survivors.

• Your Administration also rolled back the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard, which required federal agencies to consider flooding risk for infrastructure projects that receive federal funds and locate them outside of low-lying, flood-vulnerable areas whenever practicable.

• The Department of Defense planned to cut the National Weather Service off of satellite weather data at the start of the hurricane season in the Atlantic, leaving hurricane forecasters without time sensitive information, and a US Army Corps of Engineers sea level rise calculator has gone offline.

• You have also fired the scientists working on the upcoming National Climate Assessment, which informs the costs of these extreme weather events, what steps can be taken to mitigate them, and helps states and local government as well as private companies understand their natural hazard risks and how to mitigate them.

• You have also, intentionally, spread misinformation about disaster response – both in North Carolina and Los Angeles.

“Severe weather events are growing in frequency, severity, and cost, and your Administration’s actions are making it worse. Decisions that add to the human and financial toll of natural disasters fail the most basic standard of protecting the American people. The broader effort to weaken federal disaster capabilities, like dismantling FEMA, and shift the burden to already overextended states is not only willfully negligent but reckless and dangerous. The 5th National Climate Assessment shows that billion‑dollar disasters are increasing in frequency and now strike every three weeks, costing the U.S. nearly $150 billion annually, not including lives lost and long‑term health and environmental impacts. State and local governments lack the resources, capacity, and technical expertise to meet the scale and speed of today’s escalating disaster threats without robust federal support. Weakening the federal response doesn’t just fail to protect people, it actively undermines national preparedness and leaves every community in America more vulnerable when major disasters strike.

“If your Administration is serious about responding to the tragedies of these natural disasters and saving American lives, it will immediately restore federal employees at the National Weather Service, FEMA, NOAA, and USGS who are critical to disaster response and preparedness, restore the scientists working on the National Climate Assessment, reenforce the Federal Flood Risk Management Standard, and restore and fully fund FEMA and programs like BRIC that enable communities to prepare for disasters and recover effectively. Immediate restoration of federal disaster response staff and programs is essential to protect lives and ensure national preparedness.” 

The letter to President Trump was sent by U.S. Representatives Don Beyer (D-VA), Yassamin Ansari (D-AZ), Becca Balint (D-VT),Nanette Barragán (D-CA), Wesley Bell (D-MO), Suzanne Bonamici (D-OR), Brendan Boyle (D-PA), Julia Brownley (D-CA), André Carson (D-IN), Troy Carter (D-LA), Greg Casar (D-TX), Sean Casten (D-IL), Kathy Castor (D-FL), Judy Chu (D-CA), Yvette Clarke (D-NY), Emanuel Cleaver (D-MO), Steve Cohen (D-TN), Herb Conaway (D-NJ), Jim Costa (D-CA), Danny Davis (D-IL), Madeleine Dean (D-PA), Suzan DelBene (D-WA), Chris Deluzio (D-PA), Mark DeSaulnier (D-CA), Maxine Dexter (D-OR), Debbie Dingell (D-MI), Lloyd Doggett (D-TX), Sarah Elfreth (D-MD), Dwight Evans (D-PA), Lizzie Fletcher (D-TX), Valerie Foushee (D-NC), Laura Friedman (D-CA), John Garamendi (D-CA), Chuy García (D-IL), Sylvia Garcia (D-TX), Dan Goldman (D-NY), Al Green (D-TX), Val Hoyle (D-OR), Jared Huffman (D-CA), Glenn Ivey (D-MD), Julie Johnson (D-TX), Raja Krishnamoorthi (D-IL), John Larson (D-CT), Ted Lieu (D-CA), Stephen Lynch (D-MA), April McClain Delaney (D-MD), Betty McCollum (D-MN), LaMonica McIver (D-NJ), Robert Menendez (D-NJ), Kweisi Mfume (D-MD), Dave Min (D-CA), Gwen Moore (D-WI), Seth Moulton (D-MA), Kevin Mullin (D-CA), Jerry Nadler (D-NY), Joe Neguse (D-CO), Johnny Olszewski (D-MD), Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Jimmy Panetta (D-CA), Chellie Pingree (D-ME), Mark Pocan (D-WI), Nellie Pou (D-NJ), Mike Quigley (D-IL), Emily Randall (D-WA), Deborah Ross (D-NC), Andrea Salinas (D-OR), Linda Sánchez (D-CA), Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), Jan Schakowsky (D-IL), Terri Sewell (D-AL), Lateefah Simon (D-CA), Darren Soto (D-FL), Greg Stanton (D-AZ), Eric Swalwell (D-CA), Mark Takano (D-CA), Shri Thanedar (D-MI), Bennie Thompson (D-MS), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Juan Vargas (D-CA), Bonnie Watson Coleman (D-NJ), George Whitesides (D-CA), Nikema Williams (D-GA), and Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes-Norton (D-DC). 

A signed copy of the letter is available here.