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Deanne Criswell, the Administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), is under scrutiny following allegations that a FEMA employee advised disaster relief teams to avoid homes displaying signs supporting former President Donald Trump. The incident occurred in Florida during the aftermath of Hurricane Milton. The employee has since been terminated from their role, with Criswell describing their actions as "reprehensible" and a "clear violation of FEMA’s core values & principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation."
Several House committees invited Criswell to testify on Tuesday (November 19) to discuss the incident and FEMA’s recent response to natural disasters, including Hurricanes Helene and Milton.
Criswell, during her testimony before the House Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, vowed to request an inspector general investigation into the orders.
“The IG has not of yet stated they want to investigate this, but I highly encourage them to take on this case and look and see if this was a widespread issue or if this was just a single incident,” Criswell said.
When pressed by Rep. Scott Perry on the issue, Criswell said she would personally ask the inspector general to investigate the incident.
She also pushed back on reports the orders were part of a wider directive, claiming they originated from a lone employee, who has since been fired.
In response to the incident, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has directed state officials to investigate the matter. He accused the federal bureaucracy of weaponizing government against Floridians who support Donald Trump. Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody is also suing Criswell and a former FEMA supervisor for violating the civil rights of Florida residents in response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton.