House Oversight calls on FEMA director to testify after official tells workers to avoid homes with Trump signs

The House of Representatives Oversight Committee has launched an investigation into the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) after an employee was terminated for instructing hurricane relief workers in Florida to avoid homes with Trump flags

Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., chairperson of the House Oversight and Accountability Committee, announced Saturday he sent FEMA Director Deanne Criswell a letter requesting she testify at a hearing to answer questions about the agency’s response to hurricanes Helene and Milton.

In the letter, Comer said the hearing would “permit members to investigate recent reports that a FEMA official instructed relief workers to bypass hurricane-impacted homes displaying campaign signs for President Trump.”

“In the wake of the recent major disasters that impacted Americans of all political persuasions, it is critical that FEMA adheres to its disaster relief mission,” he wrote.

The Oversight Committee’s investigation followed Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis’s announcement Friday that he was launching an investigation into the agency.

“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,” DeSantis said. “At my direction, the Division of Emergency Management is launching an investigation into the federal government’s targeted discrimination of Floridians who support Donald Trump.

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell speaks with a survivor during recovery efforts after Hurricane Milton tore through Port St. Lucie, Florida on Oct. 11, 2024. ZUMAPRESS.com
Rep. James Comer leaves a meeting of the House Republican Conference at the Capitol on Sept. 24, 2024. CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images

“New leadership is on the way to DC, and I’m optimistic that these partisan bureaucrats will be fired.”

The investigations were promptly launched after FEMA confirmed to Fox News Digital that an employee had instructed aid workers to deny relief to residents who had Trump campaign signs at their homes. The Daily Wire was the first to report it.

“We take our mission to help everyone before, during and after disasters seriously. This employee has been terminated, and we have referred the matter to the Office of Special Counsel,” Criswell said. “I will continue to do everything I can to make sure this never happens again.”

Marn’i Washington was reportedly fired from her position at FEMA. Marnâi Washington/Facebook

A FEMA spokesperson told Fox News Friday the agency is “deeply disturbed” by the employee’s actions and that it was an “isolated incident.” 

“FEMA helps all survivors regardless of their political preference or affiliation,” the spokesperson said.

“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,” the spokesperson said.

The spokesperson added that the agency has helped more than 365,000 households affected by hurricanes Helene and Milton in Florida and provided nearly $900 million in direct assistance to survivors.”

A tattered American flag flaps outside a home damaged by Hurricane Helene on Anna Maria Island on Oct. 8, 2024. AP

“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.”

Fox News Digital has reached out to FEMA for comment.