The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is under fire as House Oversight Chair Rep. James Comer (R-Ky.) launches an investigation into allegations that the agency has discriminated against supporters of Donald Trump. Whistleblower reports suggest that anti-Trump bias has been rampant within FEMA for years, raising serious concerns about fairness in disaster relief efforts.
“[O]n the condition of anonymity, a FEMA official stated that the practice of avoiding ‘white or conservative-dominated’ areas is an ‘open secret at the agency that has been going on for years,’” Comer wrote in a letter to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.
The investigation was sparked after FEMA terminated one of its hurricane response supervisors, who reportedly instructed workers to avoid “Trump houses.” The employee has publicly claimed she was following orders and adhering to a longstanding agency culture.
Comer, along with over two dozen Republican lawmakers, has demanded FEMA provide internal policies, spending data, and incident reports. Their request is bolstered by additional whistleblower accounts.
“Additionally, another whistleblower contacted the Committee during the hearing,” the lawmakers’ letter stated. “This individual informed the Committee that a FEMA contractor warned a disabled veteran’s family in Georgia to remove Trump campaign materials from their home because FEMA supervisors viewed Trump supporters as domestic terrorists.”
Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.) further criticized FEMA during a recent hearing, citing complaints from 35 of his constituents who alleged similar discrimination. The lawmakers also questioned FEMA’s recent emphasis on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) initiatives, which the agency named its top strategic goal in its latest report.
FEMA has also faced criticism over its spending priorities. “In the fiscal year of 2023, FEMA spent nearly a billion dollars, $789 million, to shelter illegals in the United States,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) said at the hearing. “This past year it was $641 million, and this money is largely distributed through NGOs…and this was to house illegal aliens. Not Americans, who by the way all that money, that comes from Americans bank accounts when they write their checks to pay their taxes.”
Administrator Criswell responded by pledging to request an Inspector General investigation into the discrimination claims. While she does not believe the fired employee’s actions reflect a systemic problem, Criswell admitted FEMA has revisited homes that were allegedly skipped and vowed to prevent future incidents.
“The Committee is in the process of investigating these claims,” the Oversight letter stated. “If they are true, they would corroborate concerns that political discrimination extends beyond [the fired FEMA employee]. Furthermore, they suggest an apparent culture, whether sanctioned or not, within FEMA to politically discriminate against disaster survivors, specifically those who support President-elect Donald Trump.”
As the investigation unfolds, lawmakers are pressing for accountability and a reassessment of FEMA’s operational priorities. Whether the claims point to isolated incidents or a larger cultural issue remains to be seen.
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