Republicans demand investigation after anti-Trump FEMA employee confirmed

Several Republican members of Congress have called for an immediate investigation into a recently fired Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employee who advised relief team members to bypass homes that had signs showing support for then-Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump.

On Saturday, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell confirmed in a post on , and that she has since been “terminated.” The confirmation comes as reports about the FEMA worker have spread online in recent days.

Criswell called the actions “reprehensible” and a “clear violation of FEMA’s core values ​​and principles of helping people regardless of their political affiliation.”

She noted that the matter was referred to the Office of Special Counsel. Her post did not mention which hurricane it was, although ABC News and The New York Times quoted it in reference to Hurricane Milton in Florida, which came just days after the devastating Hurricane Helene.

Newsweek emailed the Trump campaign, FEMA and the Office of Special Counsel on Saturday evening seeking comment.

A handful of Republicans have called for an investigation into the situation on social media, citing political discrimination.

Maine Senator Susan Collins wrote in an .”

Yesterday, before Criswell confirmed the incident, Rep. Matt Gaetz said the FEMA workers’ actions were “unconscionable discrimination and Congress MUST INVESTIGATE!”

Senator Mike Lee of Utah called the action “reprehensible” to

At the state level, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis wrote yesterday: “At my direction, the Department of Emergency Management is opening an investigation into the federal government’s targeted discrimination against Floridians who support Donald Trump.” He added: “In DC new leadership is on the way, and I am optimistic that these partisan bureaucrats will be fired.”

Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado wrote that “accountability must come” and called the government employee’s actions “one of the most egregious things I have ever seen.”

On Tuesday, Trump won the presidential election, securing both the popular vote and a majority in the Electoral College. The president-elect won his residency state of Florida, which was swept by Milton in early October.

An Elon University poll ahead of the presidential election found that Hurricane Helene, which devastated several states including Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee, killing more than 227 people, “affected the plans of about fifth of voters in the United States.” North Carolinians voted this year.”

The poll of 800 registered North Carolina voters, conducted between Oct. 10 and Oct. 17, found “significant partisan differences” in respondents’ opinions of the administration’s response to Helene.

When asked to describe the federal and state authorities’ response to Helene in the state, 68 percent of Democrats said they were at least doing a good job, while only 24 percent of Republicans agreed. On the other hand, 57 percent of Republicans said authorities were doing a poor job, compared to 12 percent of Democrats. The survey has a margin of error of plus or minus 3.99 percentage points.

Trump won in North Carolina, where just over 51 percent of the state’s voters cast their ballots for him.

Before the anti-Trump staff report, the Biden-Harris administration was criticized by Republicans over concerns about FEMA’s cash flow during Hurricane Helene after Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas spoke out about the agency’s financial difficulties during hurricane season.

The agency has also faced allegations and misinformation about hurricane relief efforts and their effectiveness, prompting FEMA to publicly debunk rumors and dispel myths on its website.