FEMA workers need approval to keep their jobs

Most employees at the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will need approval from Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem to keep their jobs after their current terms end. This change was announced on Friday, and it could lead to significant job losses as President Donald Trump aims to reduce the size of federal agencies. The new policy requires that all term renewals and extensions must be approved by Noem. This includes reservists, temporary workers, and on-call response employees, who make up around 80% of FEMA's workforce. Trump has criticized the agency's handling of recent disasters and suggested restructuring it or even eliminating it. Earlier this year, Trump set up a council to explore changes to FEMA and issued an executive order to promote more state and local involvement in emergency management. The memo also states that external hiring of new FEMA employees, aside from political positions, is currently on hold. Some specific roles, such as emergency management specialists and attorneys, are exempt from this policy change. FEMA's top officials have also indicated plans to narrow the agency's focus and potentially close regional offices.