Fourteen FEMA Workers Return After Eight‑Month Leave as Mullin Releases Over $1 Billion in Backlogged Grants

**Fourteen FEMA staff returned to work this week after eight months on administrative leave for signing a letter criticizing the Trump administration.

Secretary Markwayne Mullin has also released over $1 billion in delayed grants since taking office.

**Context The employees signed a public letter last August, timed to the 20th anniversary of Hurricane Katrina, warning that cuts to FEMA’s workforce and preparedness programs left the nation vulnerable to future disasters. More than 190 current and former FEMA workers backed the letter, and those still employed were placed on indefinite paid leave shortly after it was sent. A brief reinstatement in December was reversed before the latest return.

**Key Facts Fourteen FEMA workers resumed duties this week after the eight‑month leave. Abby McIlraith, one of the reinstated employees, said she feels vindicated and believes speaking out was the right choice. Since assuming office, Secretary Markwayne Mullin has cleared more than $1 billion in backlogged FEMA grants and reimbursements for states, tribes, and territories.

**What It Means The return of the workers signals a shift in the agency’s internal climate after a period of strained relations between career staff and political leadership. The release of delayed grants aims to alleviate funding bottlenecks that have hampered disaster response efforts in recent years. However, many of the concerns raised in the original letter—such as staffing cuts, reassignment of FEMA personnel to immigration enforcement, and reduced mitigation funding—remain unresolved.

Watch for whether further reinstatements occur, how the released grants affect ongoing recovery projects, and any congressional oversight hearings on FEMA’s preparedness capacity.