worFEMA reliefBombshell report confirms FEMA workers who skipped Trump supporters' homes after Hurricane Milton broke the law: Watchdog finds crews avoid homes with MAGA flags

By SHAWN COHEN, US SENIOR REPORTER Published: 22:50, 24 August 2026 | Updated: 22:52, 24 August 2026 FEMA relief workers who deliberately skipped the homes of Trump supporters after Hurricane Milton broke federal law as well as agency policy, a bombshell government watchdog report obtained by the Daily Mail has found.  The damning findings released Monday by the Department of Homeland Security's Office of Inspector General, confirm the politically charged snubs in the weeks leading up to the 2024 presidential election - and reveal workers brazenly listed 'Trump flag' in official records as their reason for bypassing hurricane victims.  The extraordinary report - based on an internal audit of the agency's response to the October 2024 Hurricane - confirms a central allegation of a whistleblower who exposed the scandal days after Donald Trump's election victory in 2024 - and reveals glaring failures inside the agency responsible for helping Americans in times of disaster.  'FEMA Disaster Response Crew Violated Law and Policy by Skipping Homes with Political Signage,' the report's blunt headline states.  Through surveys submitted by crew members at the time, the IG was able to confirm 11 instances in which disaster workers bypassed properties for improper reasons in late October 2024, including one entry that simply stated, 'did not visit due to Trump flag', according to the report.  And that likely represents just a fraction of the actual number of homes missed, an insider told the Daily Mail, given the vast majority of notes were left blank. A source told the Daily Mail that crew members violated FEMA policy as well as the Hatch Act, which limits political activities of federal employees and can lead to civil action including termination, fines, and forfeiting 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 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.' 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.'