President Donald Trump called out the FEMA supervisor who ordered relief workers to skip the homes of his supporters in a Friday executive order launching a robust investigation of the agency.
The executive order discussed the scandal in Florida, first reported by The Daily Wire, where FEMA supervisor Marn’i Washington told relief workers in Lake Placid to “avoid homes advertising Trump.” Trump said in the order that the incident was one of the reasons the agency was in serious need of reform, and why he was ordering the creation of a council to investigate its performance.
“There are serious concerns of political bias in FEMA,” Trump wrote in the executive order. “Indeed, at least one former FEMA responder has stated that FEMA managers directed her to avoid homes of individuals supporting the campaign of Donald J. Trump for President.”
Whistleblowers told The Daily Wire that at least 20 homes impacted by Hurricane Milton were skipped due to Washington’s instructions, which were given both verbally and in a group chat. Washington was fired by then-FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell following the report.
In subsequent interviews, Washington claimed that her instructions were approved by her superiors, saying that the agency had a policy in place to skip “politically hostile” homes. There are still ongoing investigations into the incident from Congress and the Department of Homeland Security.
Trump has frequently criticized FEMA in recent months, saying that the agency has lost focus and mistreated hurricane victims because of their politically conservative views. His Friday executive order said that the agency has been “diverting limited staff and resources to support missions beyond its scope and authority, spending well over a billion dollars to welcome illegal aliens.”
The order will create a 20-person council, including the Secretary of Defense Pete Hegseth and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, to conduct a full review of FEMA’s activities.
Trump said the council will assess “the existing ability of FEMA to capably and impartially address disasters occurring within the United States and shall advise the President on all recommended changes related to FEMA to best serve the national interest.”
The executive order stipulates that the council develop proposals to improve FEMA, survey states and other stakeholders impacted by natural disasters, and produce a comprehensive report on the agency and how disaster relief was handled before its creation.
“Americans deserve an immediate, effective, and impartial response to and recovery from disasters,” the executive order said. “FEMA therefore requires a full-scale review, by individuals highly experienced at effective disaster response and recovery, who shall recommend to the President improvements or structural changes to promote the national interest and enable national resilience.”
