Yes, a FEMA employee told workers to skip homes with Trump signs, but it wasn’t an agency-wide directive

Editor’s Note: The FEMA worker who was fired told journalist Roland Martin that workers also skipped homes of Trump supporters in North and South Carolina as part of FEMA’s policy of avoiding potentially hostile situations. VERIFY has not independently confirmed this report, and has reached out to FEMA for additional information. We will update this story as we learn more.

Following the disasters of Hurricanes Helene and Milton, misinformation surrounding FEMA spread across social media. The most recent rumor regarding FEMA claims that the agency’s workers avoided homes with yard signs supporting President-elect Donald Trump during its disaster relief efforts.

Rick asked VERIFY on X if it’s true that FEMA skipped homes with Trump signs while assisting people affected by the recent hurricanes. Several other VERIFY readers sent texts and emails asking if the claim is true.

THE QUESTION

Did a FEMA employee tell workers to skip homes with Trump signs?

THE SOURCES

• Nov. 9 statement from FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell

• Florida Republican Governor Ron DeSantis’ X account

• News story that broke the incident

THE ANSWER

A FEMA employee told workers to skip homes with Trump yard signs. According to FEMA, the employee was fired for her violation of the agency's principles.

WHAT WE FOUND

A lone FEMA employee told her survivor assistance team to not go to homes with yard signs supporting then-candidate Donald Trump while surveying damage from Hurricane Milton in Florida. FEMA fired the employee for her behavior, FEMA administrator Deanne Criswell said in a Nov. 9 statement.

Criswell said the incident was a “clear violation” of FEMA’s core values and principles, which include helping people regardless of political affiliation. Criswell called the behavior “reprehensible” and said she will do everything she can to make sure such an incident does not happen again.

“I want to be clear to all of my employees and the American people, this type of behavior and action will not be tolerated at FEMA and we will hold people accountable if they violate these standards of conduct,” Criswell said.

While Criswell did not say when or where this incident occurred, a Daily Wire story from Nov. 8, which appears to be the first story published about the incident, reported that it took place in Highlands County, Florida.

Florida Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis posted to X that he directed Florida’s Division of Emergency Management to investigate “the federal government’s targeted discrimination of Floridians who support Donald Trump.”

Criswell said that FEMA referred the matter to the Office of the Special Counsel. The U.S. Office of the Special Counsel is an independent investigative agency for rules regarding federal government employees.

VERIFY has received related questions about whether this also happened in North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene, but there have been no reports of similar incidents.