The Federal Emergency Management Agency is under scrutiny after a watchdog group filed a complaint alleging the illegal deletion of federal records, just as President Donald Trump's administration ramps up its cost-cutting efforts through the Department of Government Efficiency, the Washington Examiner reported.
FEMA is facing a federal complaint for allegedly deleting a Microsoft Teams chat for LGBT employees as Trump took office in January, raising questions about potential violations of federal record-keeping laws.
The Center to Advance Security in America (CASA), a national security watchdog, filed the complaint Tuesday, requesting an investigation into whether FEMA employees violated the Federal Records Act.
"The American public deserves to know when the 'pride' chat was created in Microsoft Teams, how it was managed, how it functioned, and how it was deleted," CASA Director James Fitzpatrick wrote in a complaint letter to Attorney General Pam Bondi, Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Joseph Cuffari, and Secretary of State Marco Rubio, the acting archivist of the United States.
The complaint comes as DOGE, led by businessman Elon Musk, probes FEMA. In an X post Sunday, Musk called the disaster relief agency "broken," later citing $59 million in FEMA payments to "luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants."
"FEMA spent tens of millions of dollars in Democrat areas, disobeying orders, but left the people of North Carolina high and dry," Trump wrote Tuesday on Truth Social, adding:
"It is now under review and investigation. THE BIDEN RUN FEMA HAS BEEN A DISASTER. FEMA SHOULD BE TERMINATED! IT HAS BEEN SLOW AND TOTALLY INEFFECTIVE. INDIVIDUAL STATES SHOULD HANDLE STORMS, ETC., AS THEY COME. BIG SAVINGS, FAR MORE EFFICIENT!!!"
The watchdog group argues that the deletion of the chat indicates a broader issue within FEMA, an agency under the Department of Homeland Security, suggesting that it may have been politically motivated.
In January, days after Trump's inauguration, Slate reported that FEMA employees deleted the chat "for fear the membership list might fall into the wrong hands."
"Any agencies that learn of the destruction of records must notify the National Archives and Justice Department to initiate an investigation," CASA wrote in its complaint.
The controversy follows other reports of political bias within FEMA. In November 2024, the agency faced backlash after a Daily Wire report claimed a FEMA supervisor told employees assessing Hurricane Milton damage in Florida to avoid homes displaying Trump signs.
Since Trump's return to office, DOGE has launched efforts across federal agencies to cut spending and overhaul operations. FEMA has already halted payments to the New York City migrant housing program Musk criticized and fired four employees involved.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem stated in a CNN interview on Sunday that she supported abolishing FEMA as it "currently exists."
Jim Thomas ✉
Jim Thomas is a writer based in Indiana. He holds a bachelor's degree in Political Science, a law degree from U.I.C. Law School, and has practiced law for more than 20 years.
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