A sweeping internal investigation by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has revealed that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) systematically withheld or delayed disaster relief to Americans displaying pro-Trump signs.
DHS investigators called the practice “textbook political discrimination.”
According to the DHS Privacy Office report released on Tuesday, FEMA employees under the Biden administration recorded citizens’ political leanings in internal databases between 2021 and 2024 and, in some cases, used that information to postpone or deny aid.
Investigators concluded the actions violated the Privacy Act of 1974 and multiple DHS data-handling regulations meant to protect Americans’ First Amendment rights.
“The information collected included obviously protected information about individuals’ freedom of expression, such as campaign signs showing support for then-presidential candidate Donald Trump or political positions, such as supporting gun ownership, or indicating that an individual expressed support or disagreed with a political leader,” the August 2025 report stated.
FEMA Workers Told to “Avoid” Conservative Homes
Internal FEMA communications reviewed by investigators showed that supervisors and crew leaders instructed field workers to skip or delay visits to homes displaying Trump campaign flags, pro-Second Amendment “Don’t Tread on Me” banners, or other conservative symbols.
Audit data from FEMA’s disaster-relief software confirmed skipped home visits, missing aid notifications, and notes citing political signage as justification for no contact.
Despite these findings, FEMA never reported the actions as required “privacy incidents,” and internal oversight mechanisms failed to identify or correct the misconduct.
The report accused the agency of maintaining “hidden government databases” that cataloged constitutionally protected political expression, calling it “a pattern of weaponizing federal power against Americans.”
Noem: “This Should Horrify Every American”
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem condemned the findings as “shocking” and a “deliberate abuse of power.”
“The federal government was withholding aid against Americans in crisis based on their political beliefs—this should horrify every American, regardless of political persuasion,” Noem said in a statement.
“We will not let this stand.”
Scandal Traced Back to Florida Hurricane Response
The controversy first emerged after Hurricane Milton struck Florida’s Gulf Coast in October 2024.
FEMA fired a crew leader, Marn’i Washington, after The Daily Wire published screenshots showing messages instructing workers to “skip homes with Trump campaign signs.”
Then-FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell condemned the behavior, calling it “reprehensible,” and referred the case to the U.S. Office of Special Counsel (OSC), which enforces the Hatch Act.
The Hatch Act is a federal law prohibiting partisan political activity by government employees on duty.
In February 2025, the OSC formally accused Washington of violating the Hatch Act, noting that “the presence of a campaign sign is not a reason that FEMA personnel would or should avoid visiting a property.”
The office emphasized that “the Hatch Act prohibits an employee from using her official authority or influence to interfere with or affect the results of an election.”
Washington denied being the source of the policy, telling Fox News that avoiding Trump-supporting households “was the culture” within FEMA and that supervisors discouraged such visits under the guise of “safety concerns.”
She claimed she was scapegoated for a practice directed “higher up the chain of command,” an allegation Criswell rejected.
“There is nothing in our policies and our procedures, in our training that would direct any employee to bypass anybody’s home based on their political party,” Criswell told lawmakers in November 2024.
She acknowledged seeing “visual evidence” that Washington instructed her team to “avoid homes advertising Trump,” but insisted the behavior was isolated.
DHS: Pattern Dates Back to 2021
The DHS Privacy Office report, however, determined the misconduct was far broader.
It found similar discrimination dating back to Hurricane Ida in 2021, spanning multiple natural disasters across the country.
Investigators said FEMA failed to publish required privacy notices, used irrelevant political data in eligibility decisions, and neglected to report the violations to DHS oversight offices.
The report concluded that FEMA’s actions “eroded public trust and fairness in disaster response” and amounted to a politically motivated abuse of federal power.
Accountability Measures Ordered
In response, Secretary Noem referred the matter to the Justice Department and the DHS Inspector General for possible criminal prosecution and disciplinary action.
She also canceled FEMA’s door-to-door survey program, ordered tighter data-collection controls, and directed new agency training to clearly define legitimate safety risks in the field.
DHS said it will also remove free-text comment fields from FEMA’s mobile data app to prevent employees from recording political or personal opinions, replacing them with standardized dropdown menus.
The agency will implement new auditing systems to ensure privacy compliance and impartial disaster relief.
“The American people deserve a federal government that serves them equally — not one that punishes them for their political beliefs,” Noem said.
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