Overview
- An amended complaint filed Jan. 28 in San Francisco federal court seeks to block what plaintiffs describe as a Trump administration plan to reduce FEMA’s workforce by more than 10,000 positions.
- Plaintiffs say managers received a Dec. 23 email instructing cuts largely through nonrenewal of CORE contracts, with about 65 workers notified on Dec. 31 and hundreds more set to lose roles each month.
- The lawsuit notes that CORE staff are often first to deploy after disasters and says some received nonrenewal notices during active relief work, with 900 to 1,000 contracts facing January deadlines.
- Reports cited in the filing say FEMA paused blanket nonrenewals on Jan. 22 during a major winter storm response, though the complaint argues the broader reduction plan remains in place.
- Unions argue the move lacks congressional authorization and violates both a post-shutdown law barring layoffs through Jan. 30 and statutory protections under the Post-Katrina Emergency Management Reform Act; DHS and FEMA did not comment.