FEMA investigating stunning report that hurricane relief workers were ordered to skip houses with pro-Trump signs



The Federal Emergency Management Agency said it is looking into a shocking report that one of its officials had ordered relief workers to skip homes that were displaying pro-Trump signs.

The Daily Wire first documented the accusations based on multiple workers who said that supervisor Marn’i Washington gave a verbal order to avoid Trump homes. It also obtained documents that corroborated the claims.

'It’s almost unbelievable to think that somebody in the federal government would think that’s okay.'

“Trump sign no entry per leadership," read one entry in the government system reviewed by the Wire.

Washington reportedly made the order as workers were canvassing neighborhoods in Lake Placid, Florida, to sign up residents for federal aid over damage from Hurricane Milton in October and November.

“I know they’re short-staffed, I thought we could go help and make a difference,” said one of the employees quoted in the Wire report. “When we got there we were told to discriminate against people. It’s almost unbelievable to think that somebody in the federal government would think that’s okay.”

The report said the district affected by Washington's order voted by 70% to back President-elect Donald Trump in the election.

“I volunteered to help disaster victims, not discriminate against them,” the employee continued. “It didn’t matter if people were black, white, Hispanic, for Trump, for Harris. Everyone deserves the same amount of help.”

Other messages in the government system read, “Per leadership no stop Trump flag,” “Trump sign,” and “Trump sign, no contact per leadership.”

FEMA told the Wire that it was investigating the claims.

“We are aware of it and we are taking action at this moment regarding the situation that you’re talking about," said Washington’s FEMA supervisor, Chad Hershey.

The Wire also obtained a complaint made to FEMA about the alleged incident.

“This behavior raises significant concerns of discrimination against United States citizens because of their political views,” the complaint read. “These actions not only undermine the integrity of our agency and create a hostile work environment for those who may hold differing political beliefs but they also threaten the very democracy of our country.”

FEMA had been previously criticized for what many said was a slow and incompetent response to a major natural disaster that struck mainly Republican-majority states and counties.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

VIDEO: Glenn Beck confronts the lone FEMA crew he found in Asheville in North Carolina



Blaze Media co-founder Glenn Beck encountered the lone Federal Emergency Management Agency crew to be found in Asheville, North Carolina, and the crewmembers' responses to his questions about disaster aid were shocking.

Beck and Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.) happened to spot a FEMA vehicle on Friday and talked to the workers to gauge what the federal government was doing to meet the drastic needs of the victims of Hurricane Helene.

'Let's get them into the system, as quickly as possible. Once we get the masses done, then we go door-to-door.'

The unidentified FEMA worker told Beck that they had just been set up with a van that had digital connectivity so that they could register people for disaster assistance, including money, generators, housing, and other resources.

When asked how residents were supposed to know that they were there, he said they could find out on television, but Mills pointed out that they didn't have electricity.

"That would be the news media's job," the FEMA worker said.

"But they don't have power!" Mills responded.

"You would be surprised, they sit in their cars to charge their phones and listen to the radio," he replied. "That's how they knew the distribution center was here."

He went on to explain that they would begin going door-to-door at the behest of an emergency manager who coordinates with fire chiefs in the area.

"So when will that start?" Beck asked.

"That's way above my head!" he responded.

The man referred Beck to the leader of the crew, named Patricia, who had similarly vague answers about when they would begin going door-to-door.

"After we get the general stuff done. We got to hit the mass people first, wherever the mass people are. So the mass people are here. Let's get them into the system, as quickly as possible. Once we get the masses done, then we go door-to-door," she responded.

Mills questioned the crew leader about the lack of visibility of the van for people driving by, and she said it was just a temporary spot and they would be moving to a car wash the next day.

"We don't necessarily go door-to-door," she said later in the exchange. "That's not my cadre anyways, there's 23 different cadres!"

"Oh, I know," Mills replied. "I understand how the bureaucratic levels of the department work. They don't always work clear together."

She went on to address anger over officials saying that they were going to give out only $750 per person in financial aid.

"People are gonna think automatically that that's all they're gonna get," she continued. "No, that's not the case, that's just the beginning. That's just the beginning because there's gonna be a much much larger drop."

She also said they need to verify that people own the houses that they're claiming in order to limit fraud and abuse.

After the exchange was over, Beck expressed his frustration with the answers he received.

"What a bunch of bullcrap that was!" he said.

Officials have said that the death count from the hurricane has reached over 220 by Friday, but far greater numbers are expected as the relief efforts continue. FEMA is facing scrutiny over its response to the disaster, but it has denied many of the accusations and chalked up some of the criticism as empty rumor.

The exchange can be viewed on Glenn Beck's X account below:

.@CoryMillsFL and I spoke with the ONLY FEMA crew we could find in Asheville, North Carolina. It was stationed OFF the main road where NO Hurricane Helene victims could easily see them:

“We got here yesterday.”
A WEEK LATE.

“They could go online, make a phone call, or use our… pic.twitter.com/IU5I6KAL5r
— Glenn Beck (@glennbeck) October 4, 2024

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!

Whistleblowers allege FEMA misappropriating and withholding funds from hurricane disaster relief, Rep. Gaetz says



Republican U.S. Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida called on the Federal Emergency Management Agency to answer questions related to allegations from whistleblowers accusing the agency of mismanagement.

Gaetz's claims mirrored accusations from many on the ground in the disaster from Hurricane Helene that the federal government wasn't doing enough to help Americans in distress.

'The aftermath of Hurricane Helene is a major disaster, and your waste and unpreparedness are leaving Americans in distress — unable to access food, water, or medicine — and expecting help, with none coming.'

"My office has been in contact with whistleblowers in numerous emergency-management functions at the federal, state, and local levels, and they all point to the same critical mismanagement issues. FEMA has wasted taxpayer funds, misappropriated funds, and left other federal, state, and local responders without deployment orders on the ground," the letter read.

He went on to say his office had confirmed "hundreds, if not thousands" of service members had been sent to the disaster area but were sitting on the sideline instead of helping hurricane victims.

"We have confirmed FEMA employees deployed, on the clock, awaiting orders in hotels. FEMA pre-disaster aid was withheld, exacerbating the emergency," the letter continued.

Gaetz demanded to know how much of the FEMA annual budget was spent on illegal aliens as opposed to that spent on American citizens.

Videos and stories on social media have painted a grim picture of the severe damage and tragic deaths in the hurricane disaster. While many individuals are taking it upon themselves to help their fellow Americans, some are accusing the government of failing to help and, even worse, getting in the way of private aid efforts.

On a "rumor" page of its website, FEMA appeared to respond to accusations that it had spent money on illegal aliens.

The rumor was stated as: "Funding for FEMA disaster response was diverted to support international efforts or border related issues."

FEMA responded that the rumor "is false."

No money is being diverted from disaster response needs. FEMA’s disaster response efforts and individual assistance is funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts. Disaster Relief Fund money has not been diverted to other, non-disaster related efforts.

FEMA did not respond in time for publication to a request from Blaze News for a comment about Gaetz's claims.

There have been more than 220 confirmed deaths from the hurricane, but more are expected as relief efforts progress.

"The aftermath of Hurricane Helene is a major disaster, and your waste and unpreparedness are leaving Americans in distress — unable to access food, water, or medicine — and expecting help, with none coming," Gaetz concluded.

Like Blaze News? Bypass the censors, sign up for our newsletters, and get stories like this direct to your inbox. Sign up here!