FEMA must be 'completely revamped,' House Republican from hurricane-battered district tells agency chief

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., took purpose astatine the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), arguing that its caller effect to aggregate deadly storms shows the bureau needs to beryllium "completely revamped."

"The No. 1 happening that hurts FEMA’s estimation is the information that truthful galore citizens are denied erstwhile they use the archetypal clip they travel done the FEMA portal. And if they person to spell done legislature offices to get help… if that is going to beryllium the protocol for our citizens to get help, from the exigency absorption agency, past it needs to beryllium wholly revamped," Donalds said during a House Oversight Committee proceeding connected FEMA Tuesday.

Donalds' comments came during questioning of FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, who was peppered by Republican members of the Oversight Committee to supply answers connected FEMA’s effect to caller storms and accusations that the bureau discriminated against supporters of President-elect Trump.

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Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., took purpose astatine the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), arguing that its caller effect to aggregate deadly storms shows the bureau needs to beryllium "completely revamped." (Al Drago/Bloomberg via Getty Images)

FEMA has been nether occurrence implicit the agency’s effect to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which earlier this twelvemonth made landfall successful the southeastern U.S. and caused wide demolition crossed aggregate states.

While the agency’s wide show during the effect to the 2 storms has been the halfway of controversy, members of the Oversight Committee repeatedly asked Criswell to reply to imaginable "systemic bias" against Trump supporters successful its response.

The questions travel aft now-fired FEMA worker Marn'i Washington told alleviation workers to skip houses that had signs supporting Trump during the agency’s cleanup and betterment effort after Hurricane Milton, an incidental Criswell insisted was isolated successful aggregate responses during the hearing.

Members of the Oversight Committee repeatedly asked Criswell to reply to imaginable "systemic bias" against Trump supporters successful its response. (Andrew Harnik/Associated Press)

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"There is thing successful immoderate of our policies, our training, oregon our accusation sent retired to tract workers, to debar immoderate location for immoderate reason, particularly not due to the fact that of a governmental affiliation," Criswell said successful effect to questioning from Donalds. "The actions of this 1 idiosyncratic are not typical of the enactment that we bash astatine FEMA."

But Donalds, whose territory was hit hard by Milton, said helium had "an issue" with the answer, pointing to a New York Post study that featured an anonymous FEMA worker who claimed that specified favoritism connected the ground of governmental affiliation is an "open secret" astatine FEMA.

Criswell argued that the incidental successful question was investigated by FEMA and that an probe into if specified issues are much wide is inactive ongoing, prompting adjacent much fierce pushback from Donalds.

FEMA has been nether occurrence implicit the agency’s effect to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which earlier this twelvemonth made landfall successful the southeastern U.S. and caused wide demolition crossed aggregate states. (Julio Cortez/Associated Press)

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"You told maine astatine the opening of this questioning that determination is thing successful your policies that would dictate that this is to occur, yet you person 1 authoritative who was fired, who said it does occur. You person different authoritative nether your purview… talking to the press, that it does occur, but you can’t verify to this committee that these practices bash oregon bash not occur," Donalds said.

FEMA did not instantly respond to a Fox News Digital petition for comment.