"DHS has issued a stop-travel order for all DHS funded travel … for the duration of the lapse in appropriation. Currently, this DOES include disaster travel," the email states.
A spokesperson for FEMA, however, said the order is more limited and does not impact travel related to "active disasters."
"FEMA travel related to active disasters is not cancelled. Due to the lapse in federal funding caused by the congressional Democrats, DHS issued guidance restricting travel and certain operational activities," said the spokesperson, who emailed The Hill from a general press email account and did not sign their name.
"These limitations are not a choice but are necessary to comply with federal law. FEMA continues to coordinate closely with DHS to ensure effective disaster response under these circumstances," the spokesperson said.
Asked whether there was a difference between active disaster travel and other disaster travel, FEMA referred The Hill to a post that reiterated its initial statement.
The internal email, which was first reported by The Washington Post, says staff who would have been deployed after Tuesday pending check-in "have been stood down" from traveling. It also says staff who were scheduled to travel to a training location cannot.
Michael Coen, who served as FEMA's chief of staff during the Obama and Biden administrations, criticized the department's actions in a text message to The Hill.
Coen noted that FEMA has multiple funding sources, including the Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), for disaster travel.
"In pasts lapses the DRF activities including travel continues without interruption," he wrote.
Read more at TheHill.com.
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