FEMA Official Instructed Relief Workers to Skip Houses with Trump Signs, Says She's A 'Scapegoat'

A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) official told disaster relief workers to avoid homes advertising Trump as they surveyed the damage in Florida caused by Hurricane Milton.

The Details: In a story broke by the Daily Wire (Right bias), multiple FEMA employees came forward to explain how they were instructed by Marn’i Washington, a FEMA supervisor, to skip homes with Trump signs. Employees claimed that at least 20 homes were skipped, meaning no offer of assistance was given, in the time period between October and November. Instructions to skip these locations were given both orally and through a group chat, in which the messages were later deleted, but not before some employees took photos of the correspondence. FEMA has reportedly taken measures to remove Washington from her role.

Washington's Side: The Washington Examiner (Lean Right bias) reported speaking to Washington on November 10, who claimed she was a "scapegoat" for FEMA. Washington said she let her supervisors “know specific streets we could not do because of hostile political encounters,” and the Examiner reported seeing communications that showed "she was encouraged and supported in her decision to avoid certain streets 'to keep the team safe.'”

For Context: Dealing with both Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene aftermath has spread FEMA a bit thinly, and there were several claims citing a lack of response by FEMA in the hardest hit areas in North Carolina following Helene.

How the Media Covered It: Outlets on the right, such as the Daily Wire, focused more on the details given by the FEMA whistleblowers, while also highlighting a possible correlation between this event and the reportedly sluggish response in rural areas across the country following Hurricane Helene. Outlets on the left, such as CNN (Lean Left bias), highlighted FEMA’s response to the situation, and didn't mention other issues with hurricane relief efforts.

Editor's Note: This roundup was updated on November 12 to reflect the new report from the Washington Examiner that told Washington's side of the story.