House Republicans on Tuesday called for the inspector general to open up an “immediate” investigation into FEMA over allegations that relief workers skipped the homes of Trump supporters throughout Florida and North Carolina, according to a letter first shared with The Daily Wire.
House Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure Chair Sam Graves (R-MO) and Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) demanded Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari probe allegations that fired FEMA supervisor Marn’i Washington’s instructions to “avoid homes advertising Trump” in Lake Placid, Florida, may have been part of a broader agency policy.
“The Committee is requesting that you immediately open an investigation into the multiple allegations of the deliberate avoidance of homes with Trump campaign or political signs during the agency’s response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton,” Graves and Perry wrote, citing reporting from The Daily Wire.
Aside from Washington’s guidance, the lawmakers said that they were aware of allegations that FEMA workers bypassed entire neighborhoods in North Carolina where Trump supporters lived.
“In North Carolina, the Committee is aware of reports of FEMA employees skipping any home that displayed a ‘Make America Great Again,’ ‘Drain the Swamp,’ ‘Don’t Tread on Me’ or Trump campaign sign. If the FEMA field team encountered three or more of these signs, the field team could abandon the entire neighborhood without notifying hurricane victims of assistance available to them,” the lawmakers wrote.
This information came from whistleblower conversations with lawmakers on the committee.
“The Committee is increasingly concerned that this discriminatory practice of avoidance was more widespread than reported, and could have harmed victims who may still be unaware of the Federal relief benefits available to them,” they added.
Testifying on Capitol Hill last month, FEMA Director Deanne Criswell said that she believed the incident in Florida to be isolated and denied that FEMA had any “proactive” policies that would lead employees to skip homes.
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When pressed by Perry during her testimony before the subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management, Criswell said that she would request an investigation from the inspector general. Later that same day, Criswell told the House Oversight Committee that she had requested an “independent” investigation from Cuffari’s office.
On Monday, the inspector general’s office told The Daily Wire it couldn’t comment on any potential investigation.
“To protect the integrity of our work, and consistent with federal guidelines, DHS OIG does not comment on investigative matters,” a spokesman for the office said.
