DHS Inspector General Finds FEMA Employees Violated the Law by Skipping Homes of Trump Supporters After Oversight Committee Investigation

WASHINGTON—House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform Chairman James Comer (R-Ky.) issued the following statement on the report issued by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Office of the Inspector General (OIG) finding FEMA’s disaster response crew violated law and policy by skipping homes during the response to Hurricane Milton due to the presence of political signage supporting then-Presidential candidate Donald Trump.

“Political discrimination has no place in the administration of disaster relief. The House Oversight Committee exposed how during the Biden Administration several FEMA employees violated the law by withholding disaster relief from homes displaying signs supporting then-presidential candidate Donald Trump. Those responsible have since been fired, and today’s Inspector General report confirms that they acted illegally and violated FEMA policy. FEMA must immediately implement the Inspector General’s recommendations to ensure this kind of political discrimination never happens again,” said Chairman Comer.

On November 20, 2024, the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform held a hearing on “Oversight of the Federal Emergency Management Agency” where members questioned former FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell about political bias within the agency and the broader impact of an unelected, unchecked federal workforce. The Committee also requested former Administrator Criswell provide documents and information about the agency’s discrimination against individuals displaying Trump campaign signs on their property and withholding relief. Following the Committee’s oversight, FEMA fired employees for failing to uphold the agency’s standards of conduct and implemented additional training to reinforce that political affiliation must never be a factor in disaster relief efforts.