WMRA reported earlier this month about a local FEMA employee and a produce distribution program that were affected by federal cuts and funding freezes. WMRA's Randi B. Hagi has an update.
Shenandoah Valley resident Travis Pettit was one of the thousands of workers who were terminated in the recent federal workforce purge. He had three weeks remaining in his probationary period as an instructional systems specialist for the National Fire Academy. The academy is a part of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, or FEMA, which is housed under the Department of Homeland Security.
As NPR reported, federal judges in California and Maryland have since ordered the government to reinstate employees to several agencies, including Homeland Security – saying they were fired unlawfully.
Pettit received an email from FEMA's employee relations office on Monday, informing him he had been restored to his position. Pettit said he will be on administrative leave for at least a week while they get his computer, phone, credentials, and keys in order.
In other news, the local produce distribution program we've reported on, the "Fresh Veggie Series," which is partially funded by grants from the U.S. Department of Agriculture, got word that their funding was restored for this year. They buy produce from local farmers and pass it on to schools, food pantries, health clinics, and other organizations addressing food insecurity.
Subsequent years' grants have been officially canceled, though. An email sent to them through the Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services states, "these programs, created under the former administration via executive authority, no longer effectuate the goals of the agency."
