FEMA workers who skipped hurricane-hit Florida homes with Trump signs broke the law: watchdog

WASHINGTON — FEMA staff broke the law when they skipped over 11 hurricane-hit Florida homes with signs supporting President Trump in 2024, a federal watchdog found in a report released Tuesday.The Department of Homeland Security Office of Inspector General faulted a FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance (DSA) crew for Hurricane Milton after they passed by the houses “due to the presence of political signage supporting then-Presidential candidate Donald Trump, violating FEMA policy and the Hatch Act.”“These issues occurred due to weaknesses in FEMA’s training, documentation, and oversight,” the watchdog determined.“FEMA DSA crews did not receive ethics and Hatch Act training before deploying to disasters, DSA policies and procedures did not require crews to explain why they skipped homes, and DSA crew leaders were not required to conduct quality control reviews of survivor interactions.”FEMA supervisor Marn’i Washington didn’t deny instructing her crew members not to offer disaster-relief services to Hurricane Milton victims in Florida supporting the Republican president’s 2024 campaign — but insisted the suggestion wasn’t isolated to her group.“FEMA preaches avoidance first, and then de-escalation,” she told YouTube podcaster Roland Martin after being fired in November 2024.“This is not isolated.”The staffers canvassed Lake Placid, Fla., between late October and early November, denying residents the opportunity to sign up for federal disaster relief assistance in the wake of the Category 3 hurricane’s landfall.The former FEMA boss had already been hit with a Hatch Act complaint filed with the US Office of Special Counsel last year, which may have forced her to accept civil penalties or debarment from any future federal employment.The inspector general’s office in the 22-page report also faulted former Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem for not funding a contractor that could have provided more data on “whether crews skippe...