AFGE led a broad coalition of labor organizations, nonprofit groups, and local governments in filing a legal complaint Jan. 27 challenging the Trump administration’s unlawful and drastic reduction of staff at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
The new complaint alleges that the Department of Homeland Security’s December 2025 decision to severely reduce FEMA’s staffing levels beginning Jan. 1 violates congressional protections designed to preserve FEMA’s independence and ensure it can carry out its statutory mission. The complaint further alleges that, if allowed to proceed, DHS’s actions will leave FEMA unable to adequately prepare for or respond to natural disasters and other emergencies, placing lives and property at risk and undermining the very purpose for which Congress created the agency.
DHS Secretary Noem’s attempts to dismantle FEMA “are among the most egregious actions taken by this administration” and provide further justification for her removal, AFGE National President Everett Kelley said.
“All Americans rely on the dedicated FEMA workforce, who devote their careers to helping people in their most desperate moments. The unlawful actions described in our lawsuit underscore Secretary Noem’s disregard for human life and further support AFGE’s call for her resignation. AFGE is proud to stand up for our members at FEMA and for the American public’s right to a government that is ready and able to respond when disaster strikes,” Kelley said.
In the wake of the Jan. 24 killing of AFGE member Alex Pretti by U.S. Border Patrol agents during immigration raids in Minneapolis, Kelley called for the resignation or removal of Noem and Deputy White House Chief of Staff Stephen Miller.
The complaint is a supplement to a lawsuit filed in April 2025 by AFGE and a large coalition of groups challenging the Trump administration’s unlawful reorganization and downsizing of the federal government without congressional authority.
In addition to AFGE, plaintiffs in the new FEMA complaint include the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), the Service Employees International Union (SEIU), and municipalities spanning the country.
“The administration’s attacks on the workers who provide life-saving services during disasters are shameful and put lives across the country at risk,” said AFSCME President Lee Saunders. “When homes flood, hurricanes and tornadoes devastate communities, or wildfires burn through neighborhoods, FEMA employees show up to help families through the worst days of their lives. Dismantling this workforce will lead to slower response times and preventable loss of life, and further strain emergency response as state and local workers, including AFSCME members, lose this critical support. We will not stand by while the administration recklessly dismantles this essential workforce.”
Click here for a summary of AFGE’s litigation against the Trump administration.
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