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The dismissed FEMA employee, identified as Washington, defended the memo during a podcast interview, alleging the instructions were consistent with a broader agency policy. “They all allege that these actions were made in my own recognizance and that it was for my own political advances,” Washington stated. “However, if you look at the record… it just so happened that the political hostility encountered by my team… they just so happened to have the Trump campaign signage.”
Washington further claimed the same policy was applied in North Carolina and that she had received “very clear guidance” from her superiors. FEMA Administrator Criswell, however, has denied these allegations, stating, “FEMA helps all survivors regardless of their political preference or affiliation.” The agency issued a statement condemning the memo, calling it “an isolated incident” and promising an internal investigation to prevent future occurrences.
During a House Judiciary Committee hearing, Chairman Jim Jordan pressed Criswell for clarity on the conflicting narratives. “She said it’s common practice. You said it’s reprehensible and isolated. Both statements can’t be true,” Jordan declared. “So someone’s not giving us the facts. I’m kind of trying to figure out who’s not telling the truth.”
Jordan also cited testimony from another FEMA employee who claimed, under anonymity, that the guidance Washington followed was consistent with agency-wide practices. “Well, you had another employee… who said Miss Washington likely received, quote, ‘very clear guidance from her supervisors.’ Is that not accurate? Is that person lying too?” he asked.
Criswell maintained that she had seen “no evidence” supporting the claim of higher-level directives but stopped short of ruling it out entirely. She emphasized that the agency’s internal investigation was ongoing.
Jordan drew parallels between the alleged bias at FEMA and other incidents involving government officials accused of targeting Trump supporters. He referenced disgraced FBI agent Peter Strzok, who infamously vowed to “stop” Trump’s presidency, as well as past comments from President Joe Biden, who labeled Trump supporters as “garbage.”
“This disdain, this mindset that’s in the government… everyone’s deplorable, everyone’s garbage, everyone is… smelly people at Walmart,” Jordan said. “The best evidence is the text message we have, which reinforces that mindset that we have seen from so many people in our government.”
Rep. Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ) also voiced concerns during a separate hearing with the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee. Van Drew questioned whether his home state of New Jersey could face discrimination due to its recent political shift toward Trump in the 2024 election. “Are we gonna be punished because [New Jersey] was so supportive of President Trump?” he asked, pointing to the state’s recent wildfires as an example of a potential test for FEMA’s impartiality.
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Van Drew, a former dentist, emphasized the nonpartisan nature of public service. “We have to take care of people… regardless of who they are, what they believe, what they feel, what they’ve said. That is our responsibility and job. This is so unbelievably, fundamentally wrong.”
Criswell assured lawmakers that FEMA is committed to assisting all disaster survivors without bias and reiterated that the agency’s internal review would address the issue thoroughly. However, the controversy has cast a shadow over FEMA’s credibility, fueling calls for greater transparency and accountability.
As the investigation continues, the allegations have sparked broader debates about political influence within federal agencies, leaving many Americans questioning whether disaster relief is truly impartial.
