Trump’s FEMA Just Moved To Steal Overtime Wages Of Hurricane Relief Workers

BY BENJAMIN LOCKE
PUBLISHED ON DECEMBER 5, 2017

The president who doesn’t believe climate change is a real problem now is facing a crisis over his funding of the agency that deals with the effect of climate change.

Trump’s budget cuts have reflected his refusal to believe the science behind climate change, and his failure to staff up for what was to come. That is coming home to roost.

When Trump went to Houston, Texas in August and praised FEMA’s response to the historic devastation of Hurricane Harvey, he was simultaneously working to cut the government’s emergency agency’s funding so he could move a billion dollars to pay for the wall he wants on the Mexican border.

Now, in the wake of an unprecedented year of hurricanes, earthquakes, forest fires and other natural disasters, FEMA is running so short of money that it is telling at least 500 of its top managers that they may have to return overtime pay they earned putting in long hours to deal with all of the emergencies.

House Republicans
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@HouseGOP
“In short, FEMA’s running out of money. They are almost broke.”- @SenatorReid. House GOP passed a bill to #FundFEMA, time for Senate to act
11:44 AM - Sep 23, 2011
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Congress has granted some emergency funding but it was also the source of legislation in past years that caps how much overtime pay FEMA employees can earn unless granted a special waiver.

Here is how FEMA puts it in classic bureaucratic-speak.

“This year’s unprecedented hurricane season led to a record-setting length of national activation,” FEMA said in a statement. “Due to the extended work hours involved in supporting disaster recovery and response efforts for multiple storms, some employees have been affected by the annual maximum earnings limitation.”

FEMA administrator Brock Long told the House Appropriations subcommittee on November 30 that his staff was “tapped out” following the record number of storms, fires, and other problems.

There are about 500 employees who are being warned they may have to pay back part of their pay after putting in long hours, taking difficult trips and dealing with the effects and after effects of numerous natural disasters.  Almost all on the upper end of FEMA’s pay scale.

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http://verifiedpolitics.com/trumps-fema-just-moved-steal-overtime-wages-hurricane-relief-workers/