FEMA Muzzles Employees Amid Mass Layoffs as New Disasters Strike

Feb. 17, 2025, 9:50 PM UTC

The Federal Emergency Management Agency barred employees from engaging with members of the media without permission from senior officials as layoffs, firings, and questions about the agency’s future rile its workforce.

Cameron Hamilton, the political official leading FEMA on an acting basis, sent a memo to personnel Sunday saying a policy change was necessary in light of what he called “unbecoming” conduct of employees sharing information with the media.

“Feeding nonpublic information to the media creates distractions, erodes the public trust, and harms the very people we are aiming to help on their worst day,” he said in an email ...

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