The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) confirmed on Saturday that a department official has been “removed from their role” after allegedly ordering Florida relief workers to bypass the homes of Trump supporters while providing aid after Hurricane Milton. These shocking allegations, first reported by a whistleblower via the Daily Wire and later confirmed by other FEMA employees, have prompted Florida Governor Ron DeSantis to launch an investigation into the agency, warning leadership to preserve their records.
According to the Daily Wire’s report, Marn’i Washington, the Disaster Survivor Assistance crew leader for Highland County, instructed the relief team canvassing in Lake Placid, Florida, to “avoid homes advertising Trump” while finding residents in need of federal aid. Washington relayed these instructions to agency staff verbally, as well as in a Microsoft Teams chat.
Per the Daily Wire:
The government employees told The Daily Wire that at least 20 homes with Trump signs or flags were skipped from the end of October and into November due to the guidance, meaning they were not given the opportunity to qualify for FEMA assistance. Images shared with The Daily Wire show that houses were skipped over by the workers, who wrote in the government system messages such as: “Trump sign no entry per leadership.”
“I know they’re short-staffed, I thought we could go help and make a difference,” an unnamed FEMA employee told the outlet. “When we got there we were told to discriminate against people. It’s almost unbelievable to think that somebody in the federal government would think that’s okay.”
“I volunteered to help disaster victims, not discriminate against them,” the employee continued. “It didn’t matter if people were black, white, Hispanic, for Trump, for Harris. Everyone deserves the same amount of help.”
No explanation was provided for Washington’s instructions, and it is unclear whether similar demands were made of FEMA employees in other states.
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Following the Daily Wire’s report, a FEMA spokesperson said the agency is “deeply disturbed” and “horrified” by Washington’s behavior and has “taken extreme actions to correct this situation.”
Per FEMA:
While we believe this is an isolated incident, we have taken measures to remove the employee from their role and are investigating the matter to prevent this from happening ever again. The employee who issued this guidance had no authority and was given no direction to tell teams to avoid these homes and we are reaching out to the people who may have not been reached as a result of this incident.
This is a matter that we take extremely seriously and we are doing everything we can to make sure all survivors receive support from FEMA. To date, we have helped over 365,000 households impacted by both Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the state of Florida and have provided over $898 million in direct assistance to survivors.
We are horrified that this took place and therefore have taken extreme actions to correct this situation and have ensured that the matter was addressed at all levels. Helping people is what we do best and our workforce across the agency will continue to serve survivors for as long as it takes.
“This is a clear violation of FEMA’s core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell wrote in a separate statement. “This was reprehensible. I will continue to do everything I can to make sure this never happens again.”
The latest allegations against FEMA follow on the heels of significant criticism of the agency’s handling of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which devastated the southeastern United States in early October.
Upon learning of this “targeted discrimination,” Governor Ron DeSantis placed the blame on the Biden administration and initiated a state-level investigation into the matter.
“The blatant weaponization of government by partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy is yet another reason why the Biden-Harris administration is in its final days,” DeSantis wrote in a post on X. “At my direction, the Division of Emergency Management is launching an investigation into the federal government’s targeted discrimination of Floridians who support Donald Trump. New leadership is on the way in DC, and I’m optimistic that these partisan bureaucrats will be fired.”
The blatant weaponization of government by partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy is yet another reason why the Biden-Harris administration is in its final days.
At my direction, the Division of Emergency Management is launching an investigation into the federal… https://t.co/3uFpE62vxb
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) November 8, 2024
DeSantis’ office is demanding that Biden, FEMA, and the DHS preserve all documents and communications related to the incident that “could provide evidence of partisan bias in the denial of disaster benefits.”
“I have been made aware of the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) politicization of hurricane recovery assistance in Florida. Specifically, FEMA’s actions withholding federal assistance for disaster impacted Floridians based on political affiliation,” wrote Kevin Guthrie, the executive director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, in a letter to the aforementioned parties. “As you know, FEMA plays a critical role in assisting individuals and communities during times of disaster and crisis. It is essential that the Agency’s actions be fair, impartial, and focused on the needs of those affected, notwithstanding their political beliefs; any actions otherwise erode credibility with the public that we are entrusted to serve.”
A copy of the Daily Wire’s original report was also included in the letter. FEMA has referred the case to the Office of Special Counsel for further review, underscoring its commitment to assist all disaster survivors impartially.
For more on FEMA’s recent failures, check out this explainer video from Patrick Bet-David.
Connor Walcott is the lead writer for Valuetainment.com. Follow Connor on X and look for him on VT’s “The Unusual Suspects.”
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