Congressional Republicans filed suit against the Federal Emergency Management Agency after a fired supervisor claimed other officials directed him to ignore homes of Trump supporters as part of disaster recovery efforts. He has vowed to launch multiple investigations.
“This will be investigated.” promised North Carolina Republican Sen. Ted Budd on Tuesday responded in an X post to shocking claims that FEMA mandates were widespread in Florida and the Carolinas after Hurricanes Helen and Milton.
“Anyone who abuses the power of the federal government to harm North Carolinians in need will be held accountable,” Budd added. “I will take care of it personally.”
Sen. Josh Hawley, a member of the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, urged the committee to open an investigation and bring in the fired employees to testify under oath.
“The Committee on Homeland Security needs to immediately begin an investigation and have this person testify under oath. In public,” said Hawley (R-Missouri). Posted on Tuesday on Xshares recent interviews with laid-off employees.
FEMA Supervisor Marni Washington argued: Monday Podcast, Roland Martin Interview She said higher-ups made her a scapegoat for adhering to an agency-wide practice of avoiding “politically hostile” housing in hurricane-ravaged states.
“FEMA preaches avoidance first and de-escalation second. This is not an isolated thing. This is a tremendous incident of avoidance,” said the 39-year-old former civil servant.
“It's not just Florida. It's avoidable in the Carolinas.”
In a Microsoft Teams chat, Washington instructed a team of FEMA officials to “avoid homes promoting President Trump” as part of the agency's “best practices,” according to screenshots. Obtained by Daily Wire
Both the House Oversight Committee and the House Homeland Security Committee have launched their own investigations into the alleged wrongdoing.
A spokesperson for the watchdog agency told the Post on Tuesday that FEMA Administrator DeAnne Criswell is scheduled to testify before the panel next Tuesday at 2 p.m.
“This administration has given bureaucrats permission to get drunk on power and make unfettered decisions,” Rep. Nancy Mace told the Post.
“They emboldened officials to think it was okay to push their personal agendas instead of just doing their jobs. Americans deserve better than this circus,” said House Oversight Committee member. added Mace, a committee member.
Representative Carlos Gimenez, chairman of the Homeland Security Committee, called the Biden administration's response to the incident “reprehensible.”
“The Biden administration has weaponized FEMA to intentionally deny critical aid and assistance during natural disasters to Americans who support Trump,” Jimenez (R-Florida) wrote in the Post on Tuesday. ” he said.
“As members of the Homeland Security Committee that oversees FEMA, we must hold those responsible accountable and ensure those affected receive the assistance they deserve.”
Criswell said in a statement Saturday that this horrific act was committed by a “single FEMA employee” and was “a clear violation of FEMA's core values and principles of helping people regardless of their political affiliation.” I have instructed the survivor support team not to go.” At a house with a yard sign supporting President-elect Trump. ”
“I want to be clear to all of our employees and the American public: This type of behavior and behavior will not be tolerated at FEMA and we will hold you accountable when you violate these standards of conduct,” the FEMA administrator added.
The U.S. Office of Special Counsel is also investigating the matter, Criswell said.
But a former FEMA official told the Post on Tuesday that turning away potential Trump voters has been an open secret at FEMA for years, and that the Biden-Harris administration's “most under-resourced and marginalized” It was part of a push to “put the community first.” ”
Washington said it did not have the authority to order disaster relief workers patrolling homes in Lake Placid, Florida, to avoid supporters of now-President-elect Donald Trump in the wake of the Milton tragedy.
She noted that FEMA's senior regulator approved the directive.
“Senior leadership will lie to you and say they don’t know, but if you ask senior leadership, [Disaster Survivor Assistance] “Crew leaders and experts tell us what they are experiencing on the ground,” she added.
“If FEMA requires these incident reports, it will demonstrate what is happening to us on the ground,” she told Martin. “FEMA is very aware of the incidents that are happening not only to my crew, but to every crew in the state.”
Her Florida-based FEMA team surrounded about 20 homes with Trump signs and flags in late October and early November as residents applied for federal disaster relief in the wake of the Category 3 hurricane. I can no longer do that.
Washington said some of these warnings had been applied in the past to households deemed “politically hostile” as part of general “safety measures, not political maneuvering.” .
After the hurricane, FEMA employees received actual threats as false messages were spread on social media. In Tennessee, a sheriff said armed groups were targeting aid workers.
Washington had been working for FEMA since 2019, but was then laid off from another job in private real estate.
Since then, she has been forced to leave her home due to threats.
Representatives from FEMA did not respond to requests for comment.
