FEMA Fires Manager Who Told Staff to Skip Homes With Trump Signs

November 12, 2024

A Federal Emergency Management Agency employee who ordered workers to bypass homes with yard signs supporting President-elect Donald Trump has been fired, the agency’s head said Saturday.

“This is a clear violation of FEMA’s core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation,” FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said in a statement. “This was reprehensible.”

The incident occurred in Lake Placid, Florida, when a supervisor for the disaster relief agency instructed their team to “avoid homes advertising Trump” while canvassing residents who could qualify for federal aid following Hurricane Milton, according to the Daily Wire.

The reported incident of a FEMA supervisor directing team members to avoid homes with Trump yard signs came after widespread reports that FEMA workers had received threats in North Carolina while helping the with Hurricane Helene response.FEMA has faced rampant disinformation about its response to Helene, which hit Florida on Sept. 26 before heading north and leaving a trail of destruction across six states. Former President Donald Trump and his allies had seized on the storm’s aftermath to spread false information about the Biden administration’s response in the final weeks before the election, the Associated Press reported.Their debunked claims include false statements that victims can only receive $750 in aid, that emergency response funds were diverted to immigrants, that people accepting federal relief money could see their land seized and that FEMA is halting trucks full of supplies.

At least 20 homes with Trump signs or flags were skipped from the end of October and into November due to the guidance, the news outlet reported Friday.

Criswell said the incident involved a single employee of the agency’s more than 22,000 and the matter had been referred to the special counsel’s office for further investigation.

Read More: Much of Milton’s Worst Damage Came From Wind, Not the Water

“I want to be clear to all of my employees and the American people, this type of behavior and action will not be tolerated at FEMA and we will hold people accountable if they violate these standards of conduct,” Criswell said. “I will continue to do everything in my power to make sure never happens again.”

Photo: Photographer: Samuel Corum/Sipa/Bloomberg

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