The Federal Emergency Management Agency is holding staffers accountable for political discrimination against supporters of President Donald Trump.
FEMA wrote a letter to House Oversight Committee Chairman James Comer (R., Ky.) earlier this week informing him that the agency fired three more staffers in connection with an incident in Florida where former staffer Marn’i Washington ordered emergency responders to avoid aiding Trump supporters in the wake of Hurricane Milton.
“As you know, FEMA terminated that crew lead’s employment with the agency on November 9. Since then, in coordination with the Office of the Inspector General and the Office of Special Counsel, FEMA’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR) — which reports directly to me — conducted an exhaustive investigation of this incident to determine the full extent of any further inappropriate behavior or misconduct,” senior FEMA official Cameron Hamilton said.
“That investigation has now concluded, and upon my review of all related materials, three additional individuals have been terminated. This action has been taken both because of their failure to meet our standards of conduct and because it is essential that the entire workforce understand that this incident was reprehensible, and this type of behavior will not be tolerated at FEMA.”
FEMA’s internal investigation concluded that political bias was not a systemic issue and agency leadership did not direct it. But it did conclude that Washington’s supervisors did not exercise enough control over their subordinates and were terminated. Emphasizing the need for political neutrality, Hamilton said he is instituting additional training for FEMA staff to ensure political affiliation plays no role in determining who is eligible for assistance.
“Political affiliation should never be a factor in distributing taxpayer-funded disaster relief to Americans. I applaud FEMA for holding bad actors accountable and the Trump Administration for taking measures to ensure this never happens again at the agency. Americans demand accountability in Washington and President Trump and his administration are delivering it,” Comer said.
Washington’s conduct drew widespread condemnation from Republicans and Democrats alike when it became a national news story in November. The Oversight Committee brought then-FEMA head Deanne Criswell to testify about political bias at the agency and FEMA’s response to Hurricane Helene, especially in western North Carolina where flooding reached levels not seen in a century.
Criswell insisted Washington’s conduct was a one-off and defended FEMA’s work in getting assistance to parts of North Carolina that are difficult to reach. She repeatedly deferred to FEMA’s internal investigation and contradicted Washington’s claim that political bias was widespread at the agency. Washington also alleged that she ordered emergency workers not to aid Trump supporters at the urging of her supervisor after Trump-supporting homeowners greeted FEMA staff with hostility.
At the hearing, Comer revealed that a whistleblower came forward to disclose another incident of anti-Trump bias at FEMA involving Georgia residents who had Trump materials in and around their home.
President Donald Trump has floated the possibility of breaking up FEMA and delivering federal grants to states for them to oversee disaster relief instead. Speaking at a rally with Hurricane Helene victims, Trump said FEMA was a “very big disappointment” and voiced support for states managing disasters. Department of Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem said last month that she agrees with Trump and believes in getting rid of FEMA as it currently exists.