US judge rules that Trump plan to halve FEMA workforce violated law

U.S. District Judge Susan Illston in San Francisco ruled on Friday that the Trump administration violated the law by ordering the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to halve its workforce. Judge Illston stated that the U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) acted unlawfully by infringing upon FEMA's authority over its own personnel and forcing the agency to cut thousands of disaster-response jobs.

The decision aligns with a federal law adopted after Hurricane Katrina in 2005, which prohibits the department from substantially or significantly reducing FEMA's authorities, responsibilities, or functions. Unions that sued the administration agreed with the judge's ruling. The judge did not provide remedies or penalties but indicated that these issues will be addressed in a separate ruling next month.

FEMA, DHS, and the American Federation of Government Employees, the largest federal worker union involved in the case, did not respond to requests for comment. The unions argue that the planned cuts undermine FEMA's core disaster-response mission, were not approved by Congress, and were initiated by former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem rather than FEMA itself.