Well, it seems that FEMA’s “mission to help all” took a hit with a shocking scandal that’s been making waves in Florida.
A FEMA official reportedly instructed hurricane relief workers to skip over homes that displayed Trump signs or flags while assessing damage from Hurricane Milton. Yep, you read that right. Homes with visible Trump support were intentionally bypassed for potential federal aid, all because of their political leanings. Let that sink in: hurricane victims were told to fend for themselves just because they didn’t have the “right” political signs on their lawn.
The Daily Wire obtained internal messages where workers logged entries like “Trump sign no entry per leadership. ” These “best practices” from FEMA officials led to an estimated 20 homes—families in need, mind you—being deliberately avoided simply because they didn’t fit someone’s preferred political profile. In Highlands County, a solidly conservative area where President-elect Trump just won nearly 70% of the vote, this move went beyond insulting; it was downright cruel.
After the scandal emerged, FEMA’s administrator for employee misconduct, Deanne Criswell, condemned the official’s actions, calling them “reprehensible” and a “violation of FEMA’s core values.” FEMA quickly fired the official and referred the case to the Office of Special Counsel. FEMA is now promising to reach out to any residents who may have been unfairly overlooked, calling this an “isolated incident.” But is it really isolated, or is this just the latest example of a government agency acting on partisan impulses?
Of course, the media said this was never a possibility:
SUPERCUT!
Corporate media: FEMA would never politicize emergency response pic.twitter.com/uGDi8coEPS
— Tom Elliott (@tomselliott) November 11, 2024
Governor Ron DeSantis certainly doesn’t think it’s an isolated case. He wasted no time responding, slamming FEMA’s politicized behavior and announcing his own investigation. On X (formerly Twitter), DeSantis called it a “blatant weaponization of government by partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy” and pointed to this incident as yet another reason for a changing of the guard in Washington. He also directed Florida’s Division of Emergency Management to launch an investigation into FEMA’s “targeted discrimination of Floridians who support Donald Trump.”
The FEMA staffer who was fired for telling coworkers to avoid helping Trump supporters just did an interview and she made a BIG CLAIM.
She says this was “not isolated” and avoidance also occurred in “the Carolinas.”
We need ANSWERS.
We need ACCOUNTABILITY.
And we need them NOW. pic.twitter.com/a8TcJLaAX0— Congressman Byron Donalds (@RepDonaldsPress) November 12, 2024
House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer didn’t hold back, either, pointing out the glaring hypocrisy in how federal agencies treat whistleblowers versus partisan bureaucrats. Comer cited the IRS’s ongoing attempts to silence Gary Shapley, an IRS agent who blew the whistle on alleged political influence in the Hunter Biden investigation. FEMA fires a whistleblower but protects an employee targeting disaster victims based on political signs? As Comer put it, this is exactly why President Trump’s reforms are needed to hold bureaucrats accountable.
Then there’s Donald Trump Jr., who rightly called this whole situation “outrageous” and demanded a full investigation. Skipping homes based on political affiliation isn’t just unethical; it’s borderline criminal. FEMA’s primary role is to serve American citizens equally in times of disaster, not to play partisan games with relief efforts. Yet here we are, with taxpayer-funded bureaucrats picking and choosing who deserves help based on whose sign they had in their front yard.
The fact that FEMA skipped over houses with Trump flags when administering rescue relief efforts and hurricane assistance should be the number one story in America. pic.twitter.com/EVFluAuMku
— Insurrection Barbie (@DefiyantlyFree) November 9, 2024
The bottom line? This FEMA debacle is a glaring example of the problem with unelected bureaucrats wielding unchecked power. As the Biden administration winds down, it’s clear that the country could use some serious reform to prevent incidents like this from happening again. People shouldn’t have to worry that their political leanings could impact their access to disaster relief. Let’s hope new leadership will bring some accountability back to our government agencies.
