DHS' Micah Bock to Newsmax: FEMA Politicized Aid for Years

FEMA's refusal under the Biden administration to help Trump supporters was just the most recent example of the "politicization" of relief aid, Homeland Security Deputy Assistant Secretary Micah Bock told Newsmax on Thursday.

Appearing on "National Report," Bock said DHS’s newly released internal investigation confirmed what conservatives had long suspected: that FEMA withheld disaster assistance from Americans based on political affiliation.

"I think most Americans can agree that if anything should be apolitical and nonpartisan, it should be disaster response," Bock told hosts Shaun Kraisman and Emma Rechenberg.

"To see the previous administration taking an organization like FEMA — that’s supposed to serve all Americans — and politicizing their response when hurricanes strike, when earthquakes strike, when fires rage through our country, it’s really sad to see."

Bock described the probe's findings as "unequivocally disgusting," pointing to reports that FEMA workers deliberately bypassed homes displaying pro-President Donald Trump campaign signs or Second Amendment flags.

"Simply having a Trump campaign sign in your yard was enough to be denied aid by the federal government," he said.

According to the DHS press release, the investigation found that FEMA employees during the Biden administration "systematically refused to visit" certain homes after disasters, engaged in "textbook political discrimination," and even collected information on survivors’ political beliefs — in direct violation of federal privacy law.

These actions reportedly began under former FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell and spanned multiple disasters dating back to Hurricane Ida in 2021.

The revelations followed earlier denials by Criswell, who told Congress that political bias in FEMA’s field operations was a one-off incident after whistleblowers alleged workers were told to avoid houses supporting Trump during 2024’s Hurricane Milton recovery.

"But this report clearly shows systemic abuse," Bock said. "This isn’t just one year or one natural disaster. This is years of abuse and misuse and politicization of the most important types of disaster response for the American people."

Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem, who ordered the investigation after taking office, condemned the conduct as "horrifying."

"The federal government was withholding aid against Americans in crisis based on their political beliefs — this should horrify every American, regardless of political persuasion," Noem said in a statement and reiterated in a post on X. "We will not let this stand."

The DHS said it has referred the case to the Department of Justice and the Office of Inspector General for further investigation and possible prosecution.

Among corrective actions announced are canceling FEMA’s door-to-door survey practice, tightening data collection protocols, and implementing new oversight and auditing mechanisms to restore public trust.

Bock said the changes are necessary to rebuild confidence in a system that failed the people it was meant to serve.

"It shows the institutional rot that exists within bureaucratic government," he said. "And it shows the danger that rot can pose to the average American citizen."

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