The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) staffer who was recently terminated advised relief team members to avoid homes that displayed signs expressing support for Donald Trump, who was the Republican presidential nominee at the time.

Several Republican members of Congress have called for an immediate investigation into the matter, as The New York Post reported.

In a post on X, formerly Twitter, FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell verified that a FEMA employee advised "her survivor assistance team to not go to homes with yard signs supporting President-elect Trump" and has since been "terminated."

In recent days, reports regarding the FEMA employee have been disseminated online.

More From FEMA

Recently, a FEMA employee departed from these values to advise her survivor assistance team to not go to homes with yard signs supporting President-elect Trump. This is a clear violation of FEMA’s core values & principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation.

— Deanne Criswell (@FEMA_Deanne) November 9, 2024

Criswell spoke to the actions, calling it "reprehensible," and a "clear violation of FEMA's core values & principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation."

As she mentioned, the matter has been forwarded to the Office of Special Counsel for further investigation. Her message did not specify which hurricane she was referring to.

However, ABC News and The New York Times reported that she was referring to Hurricane Milton in Florida, which occurred just a few days after the disastrous Hurricane Helene.

Additional Details

The Office of Special Counsel, FEMA, and Trump's campaign were contacted by journalists for comment via email on Saturday evening; however, no response was received prior to publication.

Additionally, a number of Republicans have taken to social media to demand an investigation into the situation and to denounce the political discrimination.

Republicans' Comments

Susan Collins, a senator from Maine, stated in an X post that "the Inspector General must immediately conduct a full investigation, and all those responsible for playing politics with vulnerable people's lives and homes should be held accountable."

Representative Matt Gaetz declared yesterday that the actions of FEMA staff members are "unconscionable discrimination," and that Congress must investigate the matter prior to Criswell's post corroborating the incident.

The action was deemed "reprehensible" by Senator Mike Lee of Utah, who also stated that "This sort of political discrimination by public servants tasked with helping Americans in distress is abhorrent.".

Yesterday, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis issued a statement in which he stated, "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." He added, "New leadership is on the way in DC, and I'm optimistic that these partisan bureaucrats will be fired." He added, "New leadership is on the way in DC, and I'm optimistic that these partisan bureaucrats will be fired."