FEMA issued a statement after an employee advised her survivor assistance team not to go to homes with yard signs supporting President-elect Trump. FEMA fired the employee, saying:
“This is a clear violation of FEMA’s core values and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation. This was reprehensible.”…
…I want to be clear to all of my employees and the American people, this type of behavior and action will not be tolerated at FEMA and we will hold people accountable if they violate these standards of conduct.
We take our mission to help everyone before, during and after disasters seriously. This employee has been terminated and we have referred the matter to the Office of Special Counsel.
Yet the fired employee herself contends that she acted in step with FEMA policy.
FEMA looks at “community trends,” she said and in two separate team deployments, it “just so happened that the political hostility that was encountered” was where people had “the Trump campaign signage.” She goes on to explain that “FEMA preaches avoidance first and then de-escalation.”
So, apparently this FEMA “skipping over Trump supporters” story is 100% true and not just this employee’s rogue decision: it’s agency policy. Wow. pic.twitter.com/b5MaZK3k0A
— Erich Hartmann (@erichhartmann) November 12, 2024
If this is indeed true, how many incidents took place involving homes with Trump signage in order to warrant this “avoidance”? The issue needs thorough investigation, full transparency and consequences for those who instituted this policy.
One also needs to keep in mind the fact that if a FEMA team “happened” to have had a few bad experiences with black people, and a leader proceeded to tell employees to avoid helping all black people, there would have been an unparalleled outcry.
Also, a “few” does not mean “all.” The left has bent over backwards to oppose stereotypes, even going so far as to condemn any practice of racial profiling (which they claim is a form of stereotyping) in specific investigations, even where it may be justified. Yet jumping to absurd conclusions about Trump supporters does not seem to leftists to qualify as stereotyping.
Another paramount issue to keep in mind is that the Democrats and the media have instilled unsubstantiated fear in gullible people’s minds about Trump and his supporters. The Democrats weaponized government agencies against Trump and infected their supporters with a kind of insanity about Trump that is actually alarming. Even outrageous claims about black Americans becoming slaves after Trump’s win have circulated. This lends a measure of credibility to the FEMA employee’s fears about Trump supporters.
An investigation of FEMA is needed. The American people need to know whether FEMA’s service was adversely affected by an organizational culture that incited hatred and irrational fear against Trump and his supporters. Did FEMA’s culture, combined with its policy of “avoidance,” invoke the employee’s response? FEMA was already embroiled in a public scandal over its response to Hurricane Helene.
FEMA may have thrown it employee under the bus in its efforts to avoid public outrage and scrutiny, in a misguided attempt at damage control. It looks as if FEMA officials are trying to deflect attention away from what could be a much deeper problem.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
I actually believe her. I doubt that she alone could have asked her staff to ignore Trump households if that wasn’t the message up her food chain. FEMA was right to fire her, but there are a lot more FEMA officials who need to get purged. Hopefully Kristie Noem will take care of it, if it’s not done by January 20th
gravenimage says
+1
abu taleb says
Seems like it is not a single incident, there were similar cases in previous disaster(s), So, I believe her too even though it won’t acquit her
Brenrod says
Not only FEMA it is likely that other gov agencies who handle gov benefits are also riddled with employees who use their power to disenfranchise folks they don’t like. They could easily get info from gov agencies and the victim would be unaware: I am thinking welfare, SSI, social security etc. Trump should set up an investigation of the gov agency employees.
Ralph says
Brenrod: I’m hoping once President Trump is inaugurated there soon will be far fewer government employees.
Brenrod says
Not only FEMA it is likely that other gov agencies who handle gov benefits are also riddled with employees who use their power to disenfranchise folks they don’t like. They could easily get info from gov agencies and the victim would be unaware: I am thinking welfare, SSI, social security etc. Trump should set up an investigation of the gov agency employees.
Keys says
A great point that needs to be expressed often.
When this happens those affected ought to contact their Congressman and Senator. However, as you say, sometimes “the victim would be unaware.”
somehistory says
Social Security has long been a place where some get treated like dirt. Many are those who have died waiting for that agency to decide that they are not ill enough or disabled enough by judges who are awarded for denials.
And a lot of people were on Medicaid during the ‘pandemic’ who got dumped afterward.. Many still qualified, but were denied anyway by the agencies dragging their feet and sending out the necessary forms too late for the people to get them filled out and back in time to get the benefits.
So much corruption.
James Lincoln says
somehistory,
I have helped many legitimately disabled patients with their Social Security disability claims.
It’s also best to work with an attorney who specializes in this kind of work.
The paperwork has to be perfect – but it is worth the effort.
somehistory says
James, several close relatives of mine went through the process at different times. My brother who was sprayed multiple times with agent orange applied, had an attorney, and he was just about dead when they finally approved him. He died soon after from the numerous cancers which had destroyed his lungs.
Another relative endured years of the ss stalling him and died soon after he finally got the approval.
And in my own case, the “judge” decided that I could still work. So I nearly killed myself doing that before I was approved. by that time, I was falling apart.
And the lawyer who helped me finally get it, said that three words have to be added to the application for anyone to get approved. He didn’t disclose the words.
The ss sends the paperwork and the applicant has 60 days max to get them filled out and back. The ss has twice that time to send out more papers and times to see their docs and then more waiting. the doctors work for them and not the applicant.
they want to wait you out. If you die, that’s okay with them.
I had terrible trouble getting my doctors to fill out paperwork just to get permission from my job to miss without punishment through the family leave thingy.. Each doc would only do the paperwork one time. And work demanded a redo every 6 months.
It’s a racket.
James Lincoln says
somehistory,
Very sorry to hear that both you – as well as multiple family members – have had problems obtaining legitimate Social Security disability benefits.
That being said, I have had “pretty good success” working the likely “purposefully convoluted” SSDI system.
But it is generally a long process – and requires the patient / the physicians / the attorneys to carefully work the problem.
Unfortunately, a lot of physicians do not want to put in the time and effort.
And some local Social Security Administration (SSA) field offices and State agencies (Disability Determination Services or DDSs) are much easier to work with than others.
James Lincoln says
࿗Infidel࿘ says,
“I actually believe her. I doubt that she alone could have asked her staff to ignore Trump households if that wasn’t the message up her food chain.”
Yes, quite possible.
That being said, she should NOT have followed an illegal and discriminatory order from her higher ups…
somehistory says
James, you are correct. Better to be canned and then spill the beans than to act unlawfully.
She was fired anyway. Better to be fired for doing the right thing in an agency run by the corrupt.
WPM says
She was :just” following orders by the government officials” where have we heard that before ? DE-humanizing Trump supporters as vermin and the cause of all problems this country faces where have we heard that before?
gravenimage says
Fired FEMA employee blames organizational policy for advising avoidance of homes with Trump yard signs
……………………………………….
This is of course even worse if it was FEMA *policy*. Can you imagine if crews were told to avoid helping households with Harris signs in the yards? This would be just as appalling, of course, but also would not happen.
SC says
No investigation needed just fire all of the liberal managers who were employed or promoted by liberal appointees.
Appointees should not be filling any positions with lickspittles and sycophants.
Troybeam says
She better have proof it comes from inside documentation.