FEMA official removed from office for diverting hurricane aid from Trump supporters’ homes

A Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) An official who told Hurricane Milton responders to skip homes with Trump signs has been removed from her role, a FEMA spokesperson tells Fox News, as Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis investigates the federal agency over the controversy.

The FEMA official, who has not been named by the agency, has told workers surveying Lake Placid, Florida, to “avoid homes that promote Trump” as they make sure which residents may qualify for federal benefits. aid, according to internal reports first obtained by the Daily Wire.

The Daily Wire reports that government officials told the outlet there are at least 20 homes with Trump signs or flags were bypassed from late October through November due to officials’ “best practices” guidelines. The houses were skipped by the workers, who wrote messages such as: “Trump signs no entry by leadership,” in a government system, the newspaper said.

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A FEMA spokesperson told Fox News it is “deeply troubled” by the worker’s actions and says it is an “isolated incident.”

“FEMA helps all survivors, regardless of their political affiliation or beliefs,” the spokesperson said via a statement.

“While we believe this is an isolated incident, we have taken steps to remove the employee from his role and are investigating the matter to ensure this does not ever happen again.”

It is unclear whether the official has been fired from the agency altogether.

“The employee who issued these directives had no authority or direction to tell teams to avoid these homes and we are contacting those who may not have been reached as a result of this incident,” the spokesperson said, adding that the agency has served more than 365,000 households affected by Hurricanes Helene and Milton in Florida and provided nearly $900 million in direct assistance to survivors.”

“We are shocked that this has occurred and have therefore taken extreme measures to rectify this situation and ensured that the matter was addressed at all levels.

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FEMA agents were ordered not to assist homes with Trump signs in Highlands County, a deep red area in south-central Florida that was hit by tornadoes, torrential rains and flooding when the Category 3 attack occurred. Hurricane struck to The Sunshine State in October. President-elect Trump won almost 70% of the votes there on Tuesday.

DeSantis hit after learning of the official’s actions, the federal agency announced Friday that his administration will investigate FEMA into the incident.

“The blatant weaponization of the government by partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy is yet another reason why the Biden-Harris administration is in its final days,” DeSantis wrote on X.

“At my direction, the Department of Emergency Management is launching an investigation into the federal government’s targeted discrimination against Florida residents who support Donald Trump. New leadership is on its way to DC, and I am optimistic that these partisan bureaucrats will be fired.”

The U.S. House Oversight Committee and Rep. James Comer, R-Ky., also took aim at the agency, specifically for not firing the official.

He said this comes despite the IRS trying to force whistleblower Gary Shapley out of that agency. Shapley, an IRS special agent, has filed claims of political influence in the Hunter Biden investigation with Congress, along with IRS investigator Joseph Ziegler.

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“FEMA did not fire this person… But the IRS tried to get IRS whistleblower Gary Shapley out for blowing the whistle! We must hold these unelected bureaucrats accountable,” Comer wrote on X.

“FEMA admits this happened, but does not say whether the bureaucrat responsible has been fired,” the House Oversight Committee wrote about to dismiss. This is why we need President Trump’s reforms to hold bureaucrats accountable.”

Donald Trump Jr., the son of the president-electalso destroyed the desk.

“This is outrageous, even for the Democrats in charge, and should be criminal,” Trump Jr. wrote. at X. “These people need to be expelled from FEMA, government and society! A full investigation is in order!”

Fox News’ Madison Scarpino contributed to this report