The decision to ignore hurricane-stricken homes that displayed support for Trump wasn’t determined by a single FEMA official, rather that directive came from the top of the agency, claims Rep. Greg Steube (R-Fla.).
The Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) has come under fire after internal chats leaked to The Daily Wire showed a FEMA supervisor instructing workers to “avoid homes advertising Trump” as they canvassed Lake Placid, Florida, to find residents who qualify for federal aid.
But Rep. Steube claimed Monday that the FEMA supervisor’s politically motivated directive wasn’t an isolated decision, but rather part of a systemic practice by FEMA.
“If it was happening in Lake Placid, it’s happening all across the great state of Florida. It’s probably happening in western North Carolina, probably happening all of the states that were hit by Hurricane Helene,” Steube told Fox News.
“And that’s what we, in Congress, need to get to the bottom of. The FEMA administration wants to say this was an isolated incident, but there is alleged text messages from Washington, DC to the supervisor advising them and directing them to do this.“
“So somebody higher up within FEMA was advising the people on the ground to do this,” Steube continued. “So if it was happening in Lake Placid, I can guarantee you it was happening in other places all across the great state of Florida and the country.”
“And the Oversight Committee needs to get to the bottom of this. And the very first stop would be the person who was fired, put them under oath, and ask them who in their chain of command was directing her to do this,” he added.
FEMA supervisor Marn’i Washington was “removed from her role” shortly after the scandal broke last week, with the agency insisting her discriminatory order against Trump supporters was an “isolated incident.”
FEMA’s statement [emphasis ours]:
FEMA helps all survivors regardless of their political preference or affiliation and we are deeply disturbed by this employee’s actions. While we believe this is an isolated incident, we have taken measures to remove the employee from their role and are investigating the matter to prevent this from happening ever again. The employee who issued this guidance had no authority and was given no direction to tell teams to avoid these homes and we are reaching out to the people who may have not been reached as a result of this incident. This is a matter that we take extremely seriously and we are doing everything we can to make sure all survivors receive support from FEMA. To date, we have helped over 365,000 households impacted by both Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the state of Florida and have provided over $898 million in direct assistance to survivors. We are horrified that this took place and therefore have taken extreme actions to correct this situation and have ensured that the matter was addressed at all levels. Helping people is what we do best and our workforce across the agency will continue to serve survivors for as long as it takes.”
Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis (R) ordered an investigation into the incident after the scandal broke.
The blatant weaponization of government by partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy is yet another reason why the Biden-Harris administration is in its final days.
— Ron DeSantis (@GovRonDeSantis) November 8, 2024
At my direction, the Division of Emergency Management is launching an investigation into the federal… https://t.co/3uFpE62vxb
If Steube’s allegations are true, this further highlights the whole-of-government weaponization against the American people that’s been reported within the DOJ, FBI, IRS, and other agencies.