The US government placed several employees of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) on forced leave on Tuesday, according to media reports that had publicly criticized the Trump administration.

In an open letter to Congress sent Monday, 20 years after the devastating Hurricane Katrina, nearly 200 current and former employees denounced "the reduction in FEMA's ability to carry out its missions" to help affected populations, with the freeze decided by the supervising minister, Kristi Noem, on the agency's main expenses.

Since returning to the White House in January, Donald Trump has repeatedly stated that he wants to abolish FEMA, saying he prefers to see American states "take care of their own problems."

As of Wednesday morning, 191 people had signed the open letter, but only about 30 had agreed to have their names included.

"About 30" employees have been suspended, the New York Times reported Tuesday evening.

According to the Washington Post, several employees received emails informing them of their immediate placement on administrative leave, "while continuing to be paid and receive benefits."

FEMA employee Virginia Case told CNN she received an email informing her of the news. "I'm disappointed but not surprised," she said.

"I am also proud of those who took a stand, regardless of the impact on our jobs. The public deserves to know what is happening because if this continues, lives and communities will suffer," Case warned.

The letter, titled "Katrina Declaration," was sent 20 years after the hurricane that devastated the southern United States -- particularly Louisiana -- in August 2005, killing more than 1,800 people.

The immediate response of the federal authorities had provoked a heated debate, particularly due to confusing communication and delays in providing aid to people displaced by the floods.

The following year, Congress passed a law, dubbed "PKEMRA," to improve natural disaster management.

The signatories hope their letter "arrives in time to prevent not only another national disaster like Hurricane Katrina, but also the effective dissolution of FEMA itself and the abandonment of American people that such an event would represent."

They further point out that a third of FEMA's workforce left the agency this year, largely due to budget cuts ordered under Elon Musk's Doge Commission.