A top House Republican has uncovered a major new scandal in the final months of the Biden-Harris administration that could actually have repercussions for the outgoing administration long after they leave office. House Oversight Chair Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., has launched an investigation into the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following allegations that the agency discriminated against supporters of Donald Trump. Comer stated that whistleblower reports indicate widespread and longstanding anti-Trump bias within FEMA.
The investigation follows FEMA’s termination of a hurricane response supervisor after it became public that she instructed her team to avoid “Trump houses.” In a letter to the agency, the Center Square reports, Comer noted, “[O]n the condition of anonymity, a FEMA official stated that the practice avoiding ‘white or conservative-dominated’ areas is an ‘open secret at the agency that has been going on for years.’” The supervisor noted, however, that she was only following orders from higher-ups within the disaster response agency.
Comer and over two dozen Republican lawmakers sent a letter to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, requesting documentation that includes internal policies, spending figures, and incident reports. The lawmakers have referenced multiple anonymous sources that support the claims made by the recently fired employee. “Additionally, another whistleblower contacted the Committee during the hearing,” the letter said. “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.”
At a hearing earlier this week, U.S. Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., highlighted 35 constituents who shared similar experiences with him. During the hearing, lawmakers questioned FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell about allegations of discrimination and the agency’s recent emphasis on Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI), which FEMA identified as its top priority in its latest strategic plan. Concerns were also raised about FEMA spending hundreds of millions of dollars to assist migrants. Supporters of FEMA argued that these funds do not directly divert resources from disaster relief efforts, while critics contended that the spending reflects misplaced priorities for an agency primarily tasked with emergency response.
“In the fiscal year of 2023, FEMA spent nearly a billion dollars, $789 million, to shelter illegals in the United States,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Green, 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,” she added. “Not Americans, who by the way all that money, that comes from Americans’ bank accounts when they write their checks to pay their taxes.”
There could be legal consequences for any FEMA official allegedly caught in a plot to discriminate against supporters of the now-president-elect. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody has filed a lawsuit against current and former officials of the agency following reports of political discrimination, Fox News reported this week. “FEMA workers followed these instructions and entered in a government database messages such as ‘Trump sign no entry per leadership,’” the lawsuit states. “According to whistleblowers, ‘at least 20 homes with Trump signs or flags’ in Lake Placid, Florida ‘were skipped from the end of October and into November due to the guidance.’” Moody pledged to investigate the allegations as Floridians continue to face the threat of damaging storms this season.
“Hurricane season is not over, and the federal agency in charge of emergency response is embroiled in scandal – caught withholding aid from storm victims in Florida who support President Trump,” the attorney general said. “I am taking swift legal action to find out how far this political discrimination reaches and to make sure all Americans who fall victim to devastating storms are served, regardless of their political affiliation.”
During this week’s hearing, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell announced she would request the Inspector General to investigate allegations of political discrimination within the agency. Criswell claimed that she does not believe the actions of a recently fired employee reflect a broader issue within FEMA but emphasized that the matter is being reviewed. She also assured lawmakers that FEMA workers revisited the homes that had been overlooked by the dismissed employee and pledged to ensure such incidents do not happen again.
“The Committee is in the process of investigating these claims,” the Oversight letter said. “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.”
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