DHS Watchdog Says FEMA Records Gap Limited Bias Review

A Department of Homeland Security watchdog found that a FEMA disaster-response crew violated federal law and agency policy by bypassing 11 Florida homes displaying Trump campaign signs during the 2024 Hurricane Milton response. The report also said missing survivor-interaction records prevented auditors from determining whether similar political bias occurred in other disaster responses.

The DHS Office of Inspector General released its report in August 2026, nearly two years after Hurricane Milton struck Florida. The findings document misconduct involving one crew while leaving a broader accountability question unresolved because key FEMA records were unavailable.

What happened during the Milton response

According to the investigation, a FEMA crew supervisor directed workers to avoid homes with Trump campaign signs because of safety concerns. Notes reviewed by the inspector general showed that the crew bypassed 11 homes in Florida for political reasons.

The watchdog said using political signage as a basis for avoiding the homes violated the Hatch Act and FEMA policy. The U.S. Office of Special Counsel separately determined that the supervisor violated the Hatch Act by engaging in political activity while on duty and using official authority to influence an election.

The incident occurred as FEMA teams responded to Hurricanes Helene and Milton in the weeks before the 2024 presidential election. FEMA Disaster Survivor Assistance crews canvassed 744,288 homes and other sites during the relevant responses, according to the watchdog’s report.

The report said 555,374 locations were not contacted for reasons that included private-property signs and safety concerns. That figure does not mean those locations were skipped for political reasons. The watchdog identified the 11 Florida homes as the locations documented as bypassed for political reasons.

Why the records gap matters

The larger accountability issue is whether auditors can determine if the Florida incident was isolated. The inspector general said survivor-interaction records became unavailable after a contractor-supported system shut down in September 2025 following the lapse of its contract.

Without those records, investigators could not fully examine whether similar conduct occurred during other disaster responses. The missing data does not establish that aid was denied or withheld elsewhere. It limited the government’s ability to audit how FEMA workers interacted with survivors and why some locations were not contacted.

Government Executive reported that FEMA officials told the watchdog the agency would need to procure a new contract with the vendor to restore the data. The report also identified weaknesses in FEMA’s documentation and supervisory review practices, including inconsistent ethics and Hatch Act training for personnel who could be deployed to disasters.

Independent Hatch Act record

The Office of Special Counsel separately filed a Hatch Act complaint in February 2025 against Marn’i Washington, a former FEMA employee. OSC said Washington instructed subordinates in October 2024 to avoid homes with Trump campaign signs while leading a Florida disaster-relief crew.

That personnel record independently supports the finding about the supervisor’s instruction. It is separate from the DHS inspector general’s review of the 11 homes and its findings about FEMA’s recordkeeping, training and oversight.

FEMA’s response

FEMA concurred with the inspector general’s recommendations. The agency said it increased mission-readiness training, strengthened oversight and took personnel actions against those responsible for the incident. Public accounts describe different actions involving different employees; the available findings do not establish that every worker involved was terminated.

FEMA also said it no longer conducts FEMA-led door-to-door outreach. The agency said staff now provide survivor assistance from fixed locations selected with state and local officials through a data-informed approach.

What to watch next

The next accountability questions are whether FEMA restores or replaces the survivor-interaction records system, implements regular ethics and Hatch Act training, and requires supervisors to review field documentation. Those steps will determine whether future disaster outreach can be independently audited.

For disaster survivors, the practical rule is straightforward: political signs cannot lawfully determine whether federal workers seek to provide information or assistance. The documented misconduct involved 11 Florida homes, but the records gap is why the watchdog could not determine with confidence whether similar conduct occurred elsewhere.

Sources

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