Thompson, Carter Statement on Government Report on FEMA Hiring and Staffing Shortfalls
(WASHINGTON) – Today, Rep. Bennie G. Thompson (D-MS), Ranking Member of the Committee on Homeland Security, and Rep. Troy A. Carter, Sr. (D-LA), Ranking Member of the Emergency Management & Technology Subcommittee, released the below statement on a new U.S. Government Accountability Office (GAO) report they requested on hiring and staffing shortfalls in the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) disaster workforce. This report comes after Committee Democrats held two hearings on this issue in 2022 after tracking this issue for years.
In the report, FEMA Disaster Workforce: Actions Needed to Improve Hiring Data and Address Staffing Gaps, GAO found that the demand for FEMA assistance has increased with more frequent and complex disasters – including hurricanes, wildfires, and COVID-19 – and as a result FEMA has had trouble building a workforce to meet these needs. GAO found that FEMA has fallen short of their yearly staffing target since 2019—and that gap continues to grow. For example, at the beginning of FY 2022, FEMA had approximately 11,400 disaster employees with a goal of 17,670 – a gap of approximately 35 percent. Overall, GAO recommends that FEMA create better procedures and performance measures for tracking the agency’s hiring processes so it can be sure its efforts to boost employment are effective.
“We are grateful to the thousands of FEMA personnel who respond, at a moment’s notice, to disasters around the country,” the Ranking Members said. “But when disasters strike our communities, we know FEMA needs a properly staffed disaster workforce to do its job effectively and efficiently. Without this, the Federal response to disasters can be impacted at a time when threats like global warming are making hurricanes and wildfires more common and more destructive. While recent events, such as the COVID-19 pandemic, are partly to blame for staffing shortages, it is clear from this report there is much more that FEMA can do to expand its workforce and properly track progress. Congress has a clear role in helping build a stronger FEMA and we look forward to working with the Agency to ensure it is on the right path and fully implementing the recommendations in this report.”
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