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The Department of Homeland Security fired three more FEMA workers on Thursday after an inspector general report found that FEMA crews skipped servicing homes with pro-Trump signs following Hurricane Milton.
DHS says the three firings were in addition to other firings carried out after the IG report released last week. An investigation by FEMA’s Office of Professional Responsibility found that the three employees had “failed to meet FEMA’s standards of conduct.”
“Our job is to protect the American people, regardless of their political beliefs. This is especially important when it comes to disaster relief, where every second counts and lives are on the line,” said DHS Secretary Markwayne Mullin. “We’ve made sure that everyone responsible for this incident has been punished, and we’ll make sure that nothing like this ever happens again.”
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Residents are rescued from an their second story apartment complex in Clearwater that was flooded from and overflowing creek due to Hurricane Milton on October 10, 2024 in Florida. At least four people were confirmed killed as a result of two tornadoes triggered by Hurricane Milton on the east coast of the US state of Florida, local authorities said Thursday. (Bryan R. SMITH / AFP via Getty Images)
“Thanks to President Trump, FEMA has been empowered to hold accountable those who are responsible and has changed how it conducts survivor outreach to ensure Americans are treated fairly and assistance is driven by need,” said FEMA Administrator Cameron Hamilton.
“Under my watch, all parties involved in this situation have been held accountable. Political bias has no room in public service,” he added.
The firings come after FEMA supervisor Marn’i Washington was fired for instructing personnel to avoid homes with Trump signage in Lake Placid, Florida, in 2024.
US President Joe Biden speaks on the initial impacts of Hurricane Milton in the South Court Auditorium at the White House in Washington, DC, US, on Thursday, Oct. 10, 2024. More than 3 million people are without power as of Thursday morning, after Hurricane Milton made landfall and crossed the state of Florida. Photographer: Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images (Shawn Thew/EPA/Bloomberg via Getty Images)
Washington maintains she did nothing wrong, arguing in statements to the Washington Post that she was looking to protect workers in a highly politicized environment.
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“I had never seen people so passionate during that political season, and what we were experiencing was not just conspiracy theories. People were physically charging at us with aggressive postures and accusations,” Washington told the Post.
A drone view shows destroyed beach houses after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Manasota Key, Florida, U.S., October 11, 2024. (REUTERS/Ricardo Arduengo/File Photo)
“People calling people on the phone saying FEMA was here. They would beat us to the fence and yell: ‘Don’t come here, you are part of Biden; we know what Biden is doing. You are taking our money and giving it to immigrants.’ ‘Drain the swamp’ was a common term,” she said.
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Washington claimed that her teams only avoided homes that showed both a Trump sign and further signs of so-called hostility, such as signs referencing guns.