{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-calls-for-full-scale-investigation-into-femas-discrimination-against-trump-supporters-in-need-of-disaster-relief-aid/", "Hawley Calls for Full-Scale Investigation into FEMA\u2019s Discrimination Against Trump Supporters in Need of Disaster Relief Aid", "2024-11-10", "2024", "2024-11", "Republican", "Senate", "MO", "Josh Hawley", "H001089", "www.hawley.senate.gov", "hawley", "https://www.hawley.senate.gov/press-releases/page/", "scraper", "U.S. Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) wrote a letter to Inspector General Joseph Cuffari, who oversees investigations into the Department of Homeland Security and its agencies, calling on him to review complaints of a Biden Administration supervisor who directed her team to avoid providing federal assistance to Floridians who displayed support for President-elect Donald Trump.\n\nSenator Hawley\u2019s letter comes after new reporting revealed\u2014and FEMA subsequently confirmed\u2014a top-down order by officials within the agency to discriminate against Trump supporters whose homes were recently ravaged by Hurricane Milton.\n\n\u201cI urge you to launch a comprehensive investigation into this incident to ensure that no American is denied disaster relief due to their political beliefs,\u201d Senator Hawley demanded.\n\nHe continued, adding, \u201c[S]creenshots of FEMA\u2019s aid logs show that workers did in fact skip an estimated 20 homes in their canvassing routes, explicitly stating the only reason as \u2018Trump sign no entry per leadership.\u2019 This is wholly unacceptable and egregious behavior that has no place in our nation\u2019s disaster relief programs.\u201d\n\nRead the full letter here or below.\n\nNovember 9, 2024\n\nThe Hon. Joseph V. Cuffari\n\nInspector General\n\nDepartment of Homeland Security\n\n245 Murray Lane, SW\n\nWashington, D.C. 20528-03035\n\nDear Inspector General Cuffari:\n\nOn November 8, 2024, reports revealed disturbing evidence that a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) official ordered her workers to avoid assisting Trump supporters during the Hurricane Milton cleanup efforts in Florida. Following the publication of these reports, FEMA has confirmed the story\u2019s accuracy. I urge you to launch a comprehensive investigation into this incident to ensure that no American is denied disaster relief due to their political beliefs.\n\nAccording to reports, FEMA supervisor Marn\u2019i Washington instructed her workers to \u201cavoid homes advertising Trump\u201d when identifying residents eligible for federal aid.Text messages from Washington describe this protocol in a list of \u201cbest practices\u201d\u2014alongside instructions to stay hydrated, bring a towel, and \u201cfollow the rules.\u201d Additionally, screenshots of FEMA\u2019s aid logs show that workers did in fact skip an estimated 20 homes in their canvassing routes, explicitly stating the only reason as \u201cTrump sign no entry per leadership.\u201d This is wholly unacceptable and egregious behavior that has no place in our nation\u2019s disaster relief programs.\n\nRelief workers have rightly accused this FEMA supervisor of discrimination. One worker said Washington\u2019s orders prevented her from informing residents of qualified assistance and that it felt wrong to ignore homes on the basis of political affiliation. This led some workers to file formal complaints with the Department of Homeland Security, which reportedly resulted in Washington being removed from her current role.2\n\nAs Inspector General, you are charged with investigating waste, fraud, abuse, and mismanagement at the Department of Homeland Security, which includes FEMA.As a member of the Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs, I urge you to fully investigate this matter to ensure these complaints are taken seriously so that no American is denied federal assistance based on their political beliefs. In your investigation, please specifically provide:\n\n1. Any information relating to Marn\u2019i Washington\u2019s employment status at FEMA. Has she been fired from the agency, or just reassigned?\n\n2. Any and all information relating to internal formal complaints made against Marn\u2019i Washington for discrimination or misuse of government resources.\n\n3. Any other directives or guidance issued by FEMA officials that direct workers or volunteers not to assist individuals with federal assistance outside the bounds of the law.\n\nSincerely,", 1, "2026-03-30T01:40:41Z", "2026-04-06T19:02:12Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://www.hawley.senate.gov/hawley-calls-for-full-scale-investigation-into-femas-discrimination-against-trump-supporters-in-need-of-disaster-relief-aid/"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 2.2002379409968853, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}