Congressional lawmakers seeking answers about why Federal Emergency Management Agency workers were told to avoid the homes of Trump supporters in the wake of Hurricane Milton had better hurry, said Rep. Greg Steube, before President-elect Donald Trump returns to Washington and cleans house.
"I just read a report where another FEMA worker who had worked for FEMA for five years said that in oral meetings they were told to avoid Trump houses," the Florida Republican told Newsmax's "Carl Higbie FRONTLINE." "So this is a culture that has been going on there.
"We saw the weaponization of the federal government under the Biden administration from the DOJ [Department of Justice] and the FBI, and it got all the way down to FEMA, where they were avoiding Trump supporters. In a district like mine — I got elected by 64% of the vote; it's an overwhelmingly conservative district — I mean, they just probably avoided multiple cities and areas within my district because they were supportive of President Trump.
"That's completely absurd and outrageous. People in my district that are even Democrats and independents are outraged that that is going on," he said.
Steube said that allegations that agency workers were directed by a now-fired FEMA supervisor to avoid homes with Trump signs are being corroborated.
"The great thing is President Trump got elected. And in two months, the FEMA director is not going to be there," he said.
"Most of these people are going to be gone. But we still need to get answers from the people that are currently there and hold them accountable."
He noted that Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody filed a lawsuit and said FEMA workers were "violating people's constitutional rights by discriminating against them based on their political affiliation; that violates the law."
Steube said he plans to ask FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell whether the workers were "interviewed under oath and given sworn testimony as it relates to this incident."
"And now that she's agreed to have the IG [inspector general] do it, the IG should be asking those questions and work their way all the way up the chain of command as to where this directive came from," he said.
The Florida congressman also said that he has introduced a bill to bar illegal immigrants from receiving FEMA aid, which he said they are currently allowed to collect.
"They're denying Trump supporters aid and then they're giving illegal immigrants aid," Steube said of the Biden administration. "What my bill does is remove the qualified alien exemption under federal law."
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Nicole Weatherholtz ✉
Nicole Weatherholtz, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.
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