The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee is holding a hearing at 10 a.m. to grill FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell on the “failure of leadership” that resulted in supporters of President-elect Donald Trump being discriminated against during Hurricane Helene disaster relief.
All 35 Republicans on the committee, led by Chairman Sam Graves (R-MO) as well as Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA), sent an oversight letter to Criswell on Thursday demanding a briefing on the matter ahead of the hearing.
FEMA’s blacklisting of Trump supporters from disaster relief is fitting for a despot, not a public servant. The weaponization of federal agencies against supporters of President Trump must end.
On Tuesday, I’ll demand answers and accountability from those responsible for this… https://t.co/1Jdkfj8Zuy
— Rep. Scott Perry (@RepScottPerry) November 14, 2024
The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee, which has legislative and oversight jurisdiction over FEMA, called for the agency to explain what actions have been taken to support the families who were skipped over, what policies have been designed to “prevent future political discrimination,” and an assessment of how widespread the failure to assist pro-Trump disaster victims was.
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Criswell and Marn’i Washington, the former FEMA supervisor who told her team to “avoid” pro-Trump houses, were sued by Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody on Thursday for alleged civil rights violations. Washington’s first interview after the fallout, where she told the Washington Examiner that FEMA made her a “scapegoat,” was mentioned and cited in the lawsuit.
The hearing is titled “In the Eye of the Storm: Oversight of FEMA’s Disaster Readiness and Response” and will take place in room 2167 of the Rayburn House Office Building.