The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) amassed controversy this month after reports indicated that a FEMA supervisor instructed staff to avoid hurricane affected homes that had Trump signs. The FEMA supervisor in question has since come out to share her perspective, commenting that she was following a FEMA wide policy to avoid "politically hostile" homes. In response to the controversy, Florida Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D) is "appalled," denouncing the supervisor's alleged orders.
Marn'i Washington, the former FEMA supervisor, was fired after reports circulated that she had ordered her staff to avoid the homes of President Donald Trump's (R) supporters who had been affected by the hurricane. During a Youtube interview this week, Washington shared her side of the story, accusing FEMA of lying and calling the incident a "colossal event of avoidance."
During an interview on News Nation this week, Rep. Moskowitz, who served as the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management from 2019 t0 2021, shared his disapproval for Washington's alleged order.
As a former emergency manager, I was appalled to hear about a FEMA supervisor discriminating against hurricane victims based on political beliefs. I am glad the person was fired, and I support an investigation. We can never allow disaster response to become politicized. pic.twitter.com/Xdc0xUdEst
— Congressman Jared Moskowitz (@RepMoskowitz) November 12, 2024
"One of the things that is sacrosanct in the emergency management industry is to stay non-partisan, apartisan," the Florida Democrat explained, reminding viewers that he served under Florida Governor Ron DeSantis (R) and in a state that is considered Republican.
Rep. Moskowitz further commented that disasters "hit neighborhoods, hit communities," adding that it doesn't matter if you're "MAGA" or progressive. "This sort of stuff feeds into the worst things that people think about government in general, and while we're entering the most partisan times, the most divided times, people have lost faith in their institutions, FEMA needs to stay out of that," Rep. Moskowitz expressed.
The incident has also received condemnation from Republicans like Florida Rep. Carlos Giménez (R), who called it "reprehensible."
After Washington's firing, FEMA Administration Deanne Criswell commented that Washington's alleged order was a violation of the agency’s “core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation.”
