Tennessee Governor Bill Lee has called for an investigation into claims that FEMA workers discriminated against Trump-supporting Tennesseans during relief efforts following hurricanes Helene and Milton in September and October. Governor Lee, along with Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, is seeking answers after reports surfaced that FEMA workers were instructed to avoid homes with signs supporting former President Trump.
“FEMA exists to serve all Americans, and these actions have eroded the people’s trust by failing to deliver desperately needed relief to all survivors,” Governor Lee stated in a post on X.
In Tennessee, Hurricane Helene caused significant damage, resulting in the deaths of 17 people and impacting homes, businesses, and critical infrastructure in the eastern part of the state.
Governor Lee expressed concern over the government being weaponized against its citizens and is working with Tennessee Attorney General Jonathan Skrmetti to investigate whether Tennesseans were discriminated against.
Internal messages published by The Daily Wire revealed that FEMA workers were instructed to avoid homes displaying Trump signs in Lake Placid. This directive led to at least 20 homes being skipped in a district where 70% of residents voted for Trump.
Senator Marsha Blackburn and Senator Bill Hagerty, both Republicans from Tennessee, condemned the reports of discrimination by FEMA workers based on political affiliation.
Florida Governor Ron DeSantis has also directed an investigation into the alleged discrimination by FEMA against Floridians who support Donald Trump.
FEMA has responded by removing the supervisor who issued the discriminatory instructions and is conducting an investigation to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.
The agency emphasized that the supervisor did not have the authority to instruct relief workers to avoid homes based on political beliefs and is reaching out to residents who may have been overlooked to rectify the situation.
The Epoch Times reached out to FEMA for comment, but the agency did not respond prior to publication. Caden Pearson contributed to this report.
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