The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is currently facing scrutiny as reports emerge regarding internal directives that allegedly instructed relief workers to avoid assisting homes with signs supporting Donald Trump in the aftermath of devastating hurricanes in Florida. This controversial guidance has ignited a wave of criticism, particularly from Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, who has expressed his outrage over the situation.
Following Hurricane Milton, which struck Highlands County—an area known for its conservative leanings—workers reportedly received a message from FEMA supervisor Marn’i Washington. According to information gathered from government employees, the instruction was to “avoid homes advertising Trump” during damage assessments. This has raised serious concerns about the fairness and impartiality of aid distribution.
It was reported that at least 20 homes displaying pro-Trump signs were bypassed, with notes in FEMA’s internal system stating “Trump sign no entry per leadership.” One FEMA employee expressed their dismay, noting that their mission was to assist disaster victims, regardless of their political affiliation. “It didn’t matter if people were black, white, Hispanic, for Trump, for Harris. Everyone deserves the same amount of help,” the employee was quoted as saying.
The directive was first mentioned in a verbal communication on October 22 and later reiterated in a group chat on October 27. However, after discussions with FEMA administrators, Washington began to retract the order on October 30, with the offending messages disappearing from the chat soon after. Chad Hershey, another FEMA supervisor, confirmed that they are aware of the issue and are responding appropriately.
FEMA’s spokesperson expressed being “deeply disturbed” by the events, emphasizing that Washington had acted beyond her authority. Nonetheless, it has been reported that some residences with Trump signs were overlooked even after the guidance was retracted, further fueling allegations of bias in FEMA’s operations. This scrutiny only adds to the agency’s challenges following the recent response to Hurricane Helene, where similar complaints arose in Trump-supporting counties.
Despite these challenges, FEMA has made strides in providing assistance, having aided over 365,000 households impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton with nearly $898 million disbursed. Meanwhile, Washington has been reassigned to a different county in Florida as the investigation into her actions unfolds.
Governor DeSantis took to social media, criticizing what he termed the “blatant weaponization” of government by partisans within the federal bureaucracy. He announced that the Division of Emergency Management would investigate the matter, asserting his optimism that those responsible for this discrimination would face consequences in the future.
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