Grassley Says FEMA Acted ‘Contrary’ To Its ‘Taxpayer-Supported Mission,’ Owes Americans Answers

Senator Chuck Grassley (R-IA) on Friday demanded that FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell respond to allegations that the agency has a widespread policy of avoiding “politically hostile” homes during disaster relief operations. 

Grassley, citing reporting from The Daily Wire, asked Criswell to produce records related to now-fired FEMA supervisor Marn’i Washington’s guidance for relief workers in Lake Placid, Florida, to “avoid homes advertising Trump.” Whistleblowers said that at least 20 homes were bypassed during the response efforts after Hurricane Milton due to the guidance that was given verbally and in a group chat message.

Grassley said he wants all records of conversations at FEMA that include any of the following words: “Trump,” “Republican,” “conservative,” “politics,” “MAGA,” as well as “germane variations thereof.”

“Every year, Americans affected by natural disasters receive assistance from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA),” Grassley wrote in a letter first shared with The Daily Wire. “FEMA employees have reportedly selectively chosen who is worthy of receiving this assistance and Trump supporters don’t make the cut.”

The Iowa Republican added that the “politically partisan selection of aid is unacceptable and contrary to FEMA’s taxpayer supported mission.” 

Grassley, the ranking member of the Senate Committee on Budget, asked Criswell to respond to Washington’s claims that FEMA officials approved her instructions and that similar guidance has been followed in the Carolinas. 

“FEMA always preaches avoidance first and then de-escalation, so this is not isolated,” Washington said earlier this week during an interview with Roland Martin. “This is a colossal event of avoidance not just in the state of Florida, but you will find avoidance in the Carolinas.”

FEMA has not responded to multiple requests from The Daily Wire for comment on Washington’s claims about the agency’s policies.

“To know if this claim is substantively true, especially considering FEMA’s terminating her for inappropriate conduct, FEMA must produce responsive records to Congress,” Grassley wrote. 

The letter asks FEMA to produce by November 28 incident reports from the last five years that include references to Trump or politics and what official policies FEMA has in place for deciding what homes and properties can be skipped. The senator requested FEMA produce records on what rationales have been given in the last five years for marking “not able to access property” when surveying neighborhoods after a disaster. 

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“Politicization of who receives FEMA assistance is unacceptable, especially as the people affected by these disasters attempt to put their lives back together,” Grassley wrote. “The American people deserve a more robust and detailed explanation of this problem and FEMA’s plans to fix it.”

Other Republican senators have also demanded answers from Criswell, including Sen. Josh Hawley (R-MO), Sen. Katie Britt (R-AL), and Sen Rand Paul (R-KY). 

Criswell, who announced Washington’s firing last Saturday, has maintained that the situation in Lake Placid was isolated. She is set to testify on Tuesday before the House Oversight Committee.