FEMA Supervisor Fired For Ordering Workers to Ignore Hurricane-Ravaged Houses With Trump Signs, But Is Her Reasoning Valid?

The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) was created to help Americans suffering from natural disasters, but what happens when FEMA supervisors begin discriminating against hurricane victims based simply on the political sign in their yard?

Marn’i Washington, the former FEMA supervisor who told workers to skip the hurricane-ravaged homes of Trump supporters in Florida, has been fired from the agency, according to The New York Post. But what’s more concerning is even though Washington’s directive was painted as an “isolated incident,” she just revealed she wasn’t the only one using their discretion accordingly.

Washington said, in accordance with FEMA rules, if supervisors notice a trend that might pose hazardous for on-the-ground FEMA workers in a particular area, they’ll issue a directive to keep their teams safe, regardless of political beliefs.

“If you look at the record, there is what we call a ‘community trend,’ and, unfortunately, it just so happened that the political hostility that was encountered by my team…just so happened to have the Trump campaign signage,” said Washington in an exclusive interview with journalist Roland Martin.

In light of political tensions and ongoing threats against FEMA workers, Washington’s directive might make sense, but as an unfortunate result, at least 20 Trump-supporting homes were forgotten in the middle of historic hurricane season, The Daily Wire first reported.

After Washington was fired by the agency, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell released a statement saying, “I want to be clear to all of my employees and the American people, this type of behavior and action will not be tolerated at FEMA and we will hold people accountable if they violate these standards of conduct.”

But Washington insists Criswell isn’t giving the whole truth. “FEMA always preaches avoidance first and then de-escalation, so this is not isolated. This is a colossal event of avoidance not just in the state of Florida, but you will find avoidance in the Carolinas,” Washington said.

Early last month, a North Carolina man was arrested after authorities say he verbally threatened FEMA workers while carrying two guns, according to NBC News.

“Please do [investigate]. They will find this is not isolated. I state this over and over again. This is colossal,” Washington told Martin. “Demand for FEMA to give you those incident reports. They will substantiate what we are experiencing in the field.”

Another former FEMA employee corroborated Washington’s account, telling The New York Post “bias against Trump supporters dated back years, sometimes justified as part of an effort to serve ‘marginalized’ communities first.”

Meanwhile, many right-wingers have expressed their shock and disapproval of the matter. Florida Gov. Ron DeSantis blamed it all on the Biden-Harris Administration, tweeting “The blatant weaponization of government by partisan activists in the federal bureaucracy is yet another reason why the Biden-Harris administration is in its final days.”

The investigation into these FEMA practices is underway and will likely result in significant ramifications for the agency.