A legal showdown is unfolding over the future of the U.S. disaster-response workforce, with unions stepping in to try to halt what they describe as a quiet but far-reaching downsizing at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
Labor groups representing federal employees have asked a judge to block plans that could eliminate more than 10,000 FEMA positions. In court filings, the unions argue that reductions began weeks ago and that the scale of the cuts has not been honestly presented to the public.
At the center of the dispute are thousands of temporary staff and on-call reservists—the people FEMA relies on to deploy personnel, supplies, and equipment when disasters strike. According to the unions, dozens of workers were already informed at the end of December that their contracts would not be renewed, with hundreds more expected to receive similar notices each month.
The unions contend the move breaks the law on two fronts: first, by proceeding without congressional approval, and second, by violating legislation passed in November that ended a prolonged government shutdown and temporarily barred layoffs at federal agencies through the end of January.
FEMA, which operates under the Department of Homeland Security, has not publicly addressed the claims.
The lawsuit lands at a tense moment on Capitol Hill, where funding for DHS is again under threat. A standoff over the agency’s proposed $64.4 billion budget has raised the prospect of another partial government shutdown, as some lawmakers withhold support amid broader political disputes.
President Donald Trump has long criticized FEMA’s role, previously floating the idea of dismantling the agency and shifting responsibility for disaster preparedness to individual states. Last year, his administration established a council to review FEMA’s operations—an effort unions now say is morphing into an attempt to hollow out the agency altogether.
The current filing seeks to expand an earlier lawsuit challenging widespread federal layoffs. While previous court orders have temporarily blocked some reductions at other agencies, higher courts have also cleared the way for parts of the administration’s broader workforce plans.
Union leaders warn that FEMA is different. Cutting deeply into its staffing, they argue, risks weakening the country’s ability to respond when communities are hit by hurricanes, wildfires, floods, or other emergencies.
As one union head put it, FEMA employees are often the first on the ground when Americans are facing their worst days—and removing them, the unions say, could leave the nation dangerously exposed.
