FEMA relief workers who intentionally passed over homes displaying support for Donald Trump after Hurricane Milton violated both federal law and agency rules, according to a sharply critical government watchdog report obtained by Our News Outlet.
The findings, released Monday by the Department of Homeland Security’s Office of Inspector General, substantiate allegations that some disaster response workers made politically motivated decisions in the weeks before the 2024 presidential election. The report also shows that employees cited “Trump flag” in official records as the reason for skipping hurricane victims.
The extraordinary review, based on an internal audit of FEMA’s response to the October 2024 hurricane, confirms a key claim made by a whistleblower who brought the scandal to light shortly after Trump’s 2024 election victory. It also points to serious breakdowns within the federal agency tasked with delivering disaster aid to Americans in crisis.
The report’s headline was unequivocal: “FEMA Disaster Response Crew Violated Law and Policy by Skipping Homes with Political Signage.”
Using surveys filed by crew members at the time, investigators confirmed 11 cases in late October 2024 in which disaster workers bypassed properties for improper reasons. In one entry cited in the report, a worker wrote that the team “did not visit due to Trump flag.”
That figure may account for only a small share of the homes that were actually missed, an insider told Our News Outlet, noting that most of the related notes were left blank.
A source told Our News Outlet that the crew members’ conduct breached FEMA policy and the Hatch Act, the federal law restricting political activity by government employees. Violations can result in civil penalties, including termination, fines and forfeiture of pay.
“This is unacceptable for any public servant,” a DHS official said. “Federal disaster responses are supposed to serve every American equally, no matter who they voted for or what sign is in their yard.”
Charlotte County workers clear feet of sand from a road on southern Manasota Key, in Florida, following the passage of Hurricane Milton in October 2024
A bombshell report released Monday shows Office of Inspector General found FEMA relief crews’ politically charged actions after Hurricane Milton violated federal law as well as agency policy
‘These actions crossed a line that should never be tolerated, especially during a disaster when people are at their most vulnerable and counting on their government to show up and help when they need it most.’
The scandal came to light days after the 2024 election, when the Daily Wire reported on internal messages in which a FEMA supervisor told workers to ‘avoid homes advertising Trump’ as they worked around Lake Placid, Florida.
The crew bypassed at least 20 homes due to the guidance passed down by Washington, the publication reported.
FEMA Supervisor Marn’i Washington, who reportedly relayed the message in a group chat and verbally, was later fired along with three crew members.
Republicans in Congress and Florida Governor Ron DeSantis made sweeping claims accusing the Biden administration of deliberately denying disaster aid to Trump supporters.
Upon taking office, Trump cited the case in signing an executive order creating a council to review ‘serious concerns of political bias in FEMA.’
FEMA’s Office of Professional Responsibility (OPR), releasing its own review in March 2025, ‘found no evidence that this was a systemic problem, nor that it was directed by agency or field leadership,’ according to a Politico report at the time.
However, the IG came down hard on officials for failing to properly train and supervise disaster responders, and fully document survivor interactions.
The report shows the watchdog was able to confirm 11 instances in which disaster workers bypassed properties for improper reasons, including one entry that simply stated, ‘did not visit due to Trump flag’, according to the report
![A photo emerged showing a list of instructions on the 'best practices' for the agency's successful relief intervention included directives such as 'not [ sic ] one goes anywhere alone,' 'communicate and follow the rules,' and avoid homes advertising Trump,' among others](https://i.dailymail.com/1s/2026/08/24/21/91895079-16076233-Washington_said_that_she_was_provided_with_a_list_of_instruction-a-48_1787603579886.jpg)
A photo emerged showing a list of instructions on the ‘best practices’ for the agency’s successful relief intervention included directives such as ‘not [ sic ] one goes anywhere alone,’ ‘communicate and follow the rules,’ and avoid homes advertising Trump,’ among others
FEMA Supervisor Marn’i Washington, who reportedly relayed the message in a group chat and verbally, was later fired along with three crew members
The watchdog, which recommends an overhaul of the system, said the problems continued under former DHS Secretary Kristi Noem’s leadership.
The Inspector General claimed DHS made their job more difficult by restricting investigators’ access to records and information.
It also faulted leadership for allowing a contract for FEMA’s Field Assessment and Collection Tools to lapse in September 2025, when then Secretary Kristi Noem did not act on FEMA’s request to fund it.
‘We requested access to the data in March 2025, but FEMA delays prevented us from obtaining the data prior to the contractor abruptly shutting down the system,’ the IG states.
The 10-page report found that most DHS crew leaders and members they interviewed ‘demonstrated no clear understanding of the Hatch Act,’ and that ‘FEMA DSA (Disaster Survivor Assistance) training did not cover ethics rules or Hatch Act provisions.’
‘FEMA DSA policies and procedure did not require crews to add details for why they skipped locations,’ the report adds.
The report found that FEMA crews canvassed 744,000 properties for Hurricane Milton and Hurricane Helene, which struck in late September.
‘According to the FEMA Administrator at the time of the hurricanes and an internal FEMA investigation, after Hurricane Milton, a crew leader instructed their team to avoid homes advertising support for then-Presidential candidate Donald Trump.
In early 2025, upon taking office, Trump cited the case in signing an executive order creating a council to review ‘serious concerns of political bias in FEMA’
FEMA officials talk to residents displaced out of their apartment complex during Hurricane Milton, October 11, 2024, in Clearwater, Florida
‘We conducted this audit to determine the extent to which FEMA followed its policies and procedures when canvassing communities impacted by Hurricanes Helene and Milton for the DSA program.’
It wasn’t until October 28 – nine days after the initial entry – that FEMA OPR became aware of the violations, when it received a whistleblower complaint.
‘We reviewed the daily summary reports for the days the crew skipped 11 homes for unallowable reasons and confirmed they did not contain information on skipping homes due to political signage,’ the agency reports.
The workers were part of a DHS team that was supplemented by volunteers from other agencies.
According to The Daily Wire, one of the workers said: ‘I thought we could go help and make a difference. When we got there we were told to discriminate against people.
‘It’s almost unbelievable to think that somebody in the federal government would think that’s okay.’
A White House spokesperson said: ‘Under Biden, FEMA employees violated FEMA policy and the Hatch Act by refusing aid to disaster survivors who displayed political signs supporting President Trump. No Americans should ever be denied disaster aid because of their political beliefs.’
At the time, a FEMA spokesperson said: ‘While we believe this is an isolated incident, we have taken measures to remove the employee from their role and are investigating the matter to prevent this from happening ever again.
‘The employee who issued this guidance had no authority and was given no direction to tell teams to avoid these homes and we are reaching out to the people who may have not been reached as a result of this incident.’
The statement continued: ‘This is a matter that we take extremely seriously and we are doing everything we can to make sure all survivors receive support from FEMA.
‘We are horrified that this took place and therefore have taken extreme actions to correct this situation and have ensured that the matter was addressed at all levels.’
