In response to The Daily Wire’s reporting that a supervisor at FEMA ordered relief workers to skip houses with signs supporting President-elect Donald Trump in Florida, Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) said the agency should be torn out of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and report directly to the White House.
FEMA has fired the official, identified as Marn’i Washington, after The Daily Wire revealed through messages and whistleblowers that she told federal employees under her supervision to “avoid homes advertising Trump” as they canvassed Lake Placid, Florida, to identify residents who could qualify for federal aid during a of the damage caused by Hurricane Milton last month.
“I want to make sure I ask you about something reported by The Daily Wire,” “Fox News Sunday” anchor Shannon Bream said during an interview with Donalds that aired on Sunday. “They broke a story a couple of days ago about FEMA. My home state, as well as where you serve — Florida — and your district has been hit very hard by numerous big storms the last couple of years. Daily Wire [was] reporting that people were told when they’re out canvassing in central Florida looking for people who may need help, that FEMA workers were told to avoid homes that had Trump symbols or Trump flags.”
Bream noted that FEMA responded to The Daily Wire’s reporting, saying, “We are horrified that this took place and therefore have taken extreme actions to correct the situation…” Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis “says he’s launching an investigation there,” she added. “What extreme actions do you think should be taken? Is that something Congress gets involved with?” Bream asked.
“Anybody involved with that should be fired immediately, not asked to resign, not brought in front of a congressional hearing, they should be fired immediately,” Donalds exclaimed. “We are not going to have a country where we’re going to decide who gets help and … who doesn’t based upon who you support politically or what you look like or anything else.”
WATCH: @ByronDonalds lays out the Republican agenda, as President-elect Trump prepares for his return to the White House. pic.twitter.com/1wRqGuVpbg
— Fox News Sunday (@FoxNewsSunday) November 10, 2024
Then-President Jimmy Carter established FEMA in 1979 to assist with civil defense and emergency management. More than two decades later, the agency was brought under DHS upon its creation after the 9-11 terrorist attacks in 2001. But now, according to Donalds, that needs to change.
“When it comes to FEMA, my recommendation for the Trump transition team is that FEMA becomes a standalone agency that directly reports to the White House. You have to get it out of Homeland Security. That agency is a massive labyrinth with a bunch of different departments,” he said. “FEMA should be a direct report agency to the White House because when disaster recovery needs to take place, we need quick answers out of FEMA, not bureaucratic ones that go through the labyrinth of federal departments.”
Donalds added: “My district dealt with this firsthand a couple years ago during Hurricane Ian. It was very hard to get answers out of FEMA, still somewhat hard to get answers out of FEMA. I think if you talk to any governor, they would agree with this. FEMA needs to be a direct-report agency to the White House. That way, the people of America, when disaster strikes, they know that this has the first priority of the president. The president has eyes on it, and they’re going to get the help that they need immediately.”
