FEMA employee who was fired after skipping homes that displayed Trump signs speaks out

A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employee who was fired after allegedly instructing a team of hurricane relief responders not to go to homes displaying yard signs in support of President-elect Donald Trump, said on a podcast she was following agency policy.
Marn’i Washington, the former FEMA employee, spoke out about the controversy with a podcaster, claiming she was following FEMA policy by staying away from what she described as “politically hostile” homes, per The New York Post.
The Associated Press reported that FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell said, “this is a clear violation of FEMA’s core values and principles, to help people regardless of their political affiliation. This was reprehensible.”
This incident has sparked political backlash, prompting Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis to initiate an investigation into FEMA’s actions.
“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, per Fox News.
DeSantis said the agency’s actions are considered “targeted discrimination of Floridians who support Donald Trump,” per Fox News.
FEMA workers have been helping residents recover from recent natural disasters, first Hurricane Helene and then Hurricane Milton, according to NPR.
The controversial incident follows a period during which FEMA has been trying to combat what it has called misinformation on the government’s response to recent natural disasters.
Last month, Criswell told NPR that “disaster response is non-political. It is all about the people.”
“We take our mission to help everyone before, during and after disasters seriously. I will continue to do everything I can to make sure this never happens again,” Criswell said.
Fox News reported that the agency has supported over 365,000 households impacted by the recent hurricanes and has provided approximately $900 million of aid directed to helping survivors.