FEMA’s Alleged Collection of Political Information During Disaster Relief

A year after FEMA officials advised employees to “avoid homes advertising Trump” during hurricane relief, an investigation suggests the agency may have gathered information regarding the political beliefs of disaster victims.

The Department of Homeland Security’s Privacy Office plans to release findings that indicate politically biased distribution of aid was more widespread than previously claimed by then-FEMA Administrator DeAnne Criswell. According to Racket News, this context arose during the swearing-in process.

The investigation revealed that workers may have been illegally collecting political data about voters, which could violate the Privacy Act of 1974. This law usually prohibits gathering information related to speech protected by the First Amendment.

Additionally, the review indicated that FEMA’s actions were not confined to the 2024 Hurricane Milton relief. The agency reportedly collected such information dating back to at least the Hurricane Ida disaster in September 2021.

Moreover, the review examined FEMA’s Disaster Survivor Assistance Field Operations Guide. This guide supposedly instructed workers to avoid situations that seemed “hostile” or where they might “feel threatened.”

Interestingly, the guide lacks a definition for “hostile,” which raised concerns, particularly from a First Amendment lawyer who spoke to Racket News. They noted that this ambiguity allowed FEMA officials to skip visits to homes if they felt uncomfortable, drawing parallels to free speech restrictions in Europe.

Examples cited in the review included workers writing about political signs in neighborhoods, such as one remark in October 2021 where a staff member noted, “The homeowner…had a sign saying this is Trump country.”

Another instance from September of the same year referred to numerous political flags and posters, prompting a worker to state, “We do not recommend anyone visiting this location.”

The review not only highlighted these issues but also called for procedural changes to prevent collecting political information and ensure aid distribution was not influenced by subjective judgments. A source involved in the investigation noted that this trend intensified under the previous administration.

This situation first came to light when the Daily Wire reported it. In November 2024, a former FEMA supervisor disclosed that the agency’s best practices involved avoiding “homes with Trump ads” during outreach for federal aid in Florida. The ex-supervisor, Marni Washington, later mentioned similar practices also occurred in North Carolina and South Carolina.

As of now, the Privacy Office has not responded to requests for verification, and FEMA has not commented on the matter.