At Hearing with FEMA Administrator, Oversight Democrats Highlight Sweeping Response by Thousands of FEMA Employees to Assist Victims of Hurricanes Helene and Milton

Washington, D.C. (November 21, 2024)—Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the Committee on Oversight and Accountability, led Committee Democrats in examining the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton in a hearing with FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell.

“FEMA is America’s lifeline in disasters like these, coordinating rapid response and recovery efforts with state and local first responders and rescue agencies.  In the recent hurricanes, FEMA deployed swiftly, providing survivors with temporary shelter, debris removal, and other emergency measures, including $750 for Serious Needs Assistance for individuals to obtain essential items like food, water, baby formula, and medication,” said Ranking Member Raskin in his opening statement.  “Now is the right time for all of us to agree that no one in public office, no matter how high nor how low, should play partisan politics with disaster relief.”  

Committee Democrats praised Administrator Criswell’s quick action to fire one rogue employee who injected partisanship into disaster aid.  

• In her opening statement, Administrator Criswell emphasized that the immediate firing of the employee represents FEMA’s stance toward partisan behavior in the agency:  “This type of behavior and action will not be tolerated at FEMA and we will hold all people accountable if they violate our standards of conduct.”  Administrator Criswell continued, “I am committed to ensuring that nothing like this ever happens again.  In the meantime, we have sent a new team to the field to contact all of the homes that had been skipped over at this employee’s direction, and that work has been completed.”
   
• Administrator Criswell explained, “We provide safety training to our staff as they are going out into communities door-to-door, and part of that safety training includes how to avoid or de-escalate potentially harassing situations and reaction.  None of that is being directed at being proactive to avoid certain situations that they may perceive without an actual threat.”
   
• Rep. Shontel Brown said, “this hearing has shown us why it is so important for our federal officials to remain unbiased, nonpartisan, and committed to helping every single American under their mandate.”
   
• In response to questions from Ranking Member Raskin regarding her support for an independent investigation by the Inspector General (IG) for FEMA, Administrator Criswell responded, “I have already requested an investigation to the IG.”

Committee Democrats outlined how FEMA and its workers deliver on its mission of providing relief to all survivors, without regard to politics or partisanship.

• Congresswoman Eleanor Holmes Norton said:  “In the weeks since Hurricanes Milton and Helene, FEMA has provided more than $1.6 billion in assistance to more than 910,400 households.  FEMA has also delivered more than 16 million meals, 18 million liters of water, more than 3,000 rolls of blue roof sheeting, more than 700,000 gallons of fuel to the communities devastated by these hurricanes, and 7,500 FEMA employees remain deployed in these communities to assist with recovery.”  Administrator Criswell followed, stating, “We know everybody’s situation is going to be unique to them.  We want to make sure all of our programs are available and we help them find the right ones to support their unique needs.”
   
• Rep. Maxwell Alejandro Frost said, “I live in Orlando, Florida.  I’ve been dealing with natural disasters and hurricanes my entire life and I’ve heard nothing but praise for FEMA’s sense of urgency and how y’all have done since Hurricane Milton.”  Rep. Frost continued, “My team and yours have worked hand in hand to solve these problems regardless of political affiliation or voting record.  Thank you for your hard work and thank you to hard work of all of the members of FEMA and staff who are fighting to ensure that people are safe and that we can recover after these horrible disasters.”
   
• Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi asked about Republican Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin’s statement, “I’m incredibly appreciative of the rapid response and the cooperation from the federal team at FEMA,”  Administrator Criswell responded, “Governor Youngkin and I were communicating, texting, and talking daily, if not hourly, during the initial hours that [Hurricane Helene] was passing Virginia.” 

Committee Democrats detailed how FEMA’s challenging task has been made harder by threats, lies, lack of funding, and attempts to falsely paint its efforts as partisan.

• Administrator Criswell emphasized, “We continue to see the amount of misinformation around all disasters increase, month after month.  And what we saw during Hurricane Helene was certainly at a scale I’ve never seen before.”
   
• Rep. Jared Moskowitz pointed out that lies about disaster aid are intended to divide Americans and foster mistrust in our government:  “It’s so important that we don’t allow FEMA to become politicized and that we don’t allow disaster aid to become politicized.  Laser beams do not start fires in California.  We cannot guide where hurricanes go.  And you know what?  You know who is amplifying that stuff?  Foreign accounts.  Other countries are amplifying that stuff on social media to divide us, to divide Democrats and Republicans.  They want us fighting over disaster aid because it helps their goal.  We shouldn’t amplify that.”
   
• Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez said, “If someone thinks that a FEMA official is coming to their house to take their house away, that’s a situation that could be escalatory or potentially become violent over something that’s not true.”  She continued, “I’ve had people come to me in an escalatory way because they believed something about me on the internet that was completely false.  And that’s just me.  Let alone an anonymous FEMA official who does not have the same level of resources to be able to combat that kind of misinformation.”
   
• Administrator Criswell discussed the consequences of misinformation for individuals who are affected by natural disasters and in need of assistance:  “Any type of misinformation that creates some type of mistrust in the federal government creates a lack of opportunity for individuals that have been impacted by these disasters to get the assistance that they need and that they're eligible for.  And we want to be able to reach out to everybody that has been impacted and assure them that we are there to support them, they should register for assistance, and we can work with them to help them on their road to recovery.”

In the face of a second Trump Administration, Committee Democrats urged Committee Republicans to work with them to ensure that government agencies continue to provide services to all Americans.

• Rep. Melanie Stansbury commented on Committee Republicans’ statements that “a new day is coming” with the incoming Trump Administration, saying:  “I think it’s important to emphasize the statements that were just made that ‘a new day is coming’ on January 20th.  And for those of you who are listening at home, what they’re referring to is the Inauguration Day when the Trump Administration comes in and begins their purge of civil servants.  And the reason why I’m emphasizing that is because, yes, we’re here to discuss a very serious matter, and absolutely under no condition should politics be the reason why someone is denied basic dignity, access to emergency resources, and comity by our colleagues.  Whether that’s emergency aid in their homes or access to the bathroom here in the Capitol.” 
   
• Rep. Dan Goldman reminded Republicans that during the first Trump Administration, partisanship in disaster aid was rampant at the highest levels of government, saying:  “In November of 2018, California suffered the most destructive and deadliest wildfire in the state’s history.  Donald Trump, according to his own former national security staffer, refused to approve disaster aid because the state of California had a Democratic governor and did not vote for him.  In fact, this former staffer had to go and pull out the voting records from Orange County, where the fire was, to show Donald Trump that Orange County had more supporters for Trump than the entire state of Iowa so that he would ultimately release the funding.”
   
• Republican Rep. Gary Palmer stated:  “I really don't care if they're Republican or Democrat.  I don't care their religious affiliations.  I think the role of FEMA is to provide aid when necessary.” 
   
• Ranking Member Raskin cited reports that the Trump Administration deliberately withheld aid from “blue states,” and called on Committee Republicans to commit to holding President-elect Trump to his promise to be a President “for all Americans.” He said, “In his first Administration, President Trump all too often deliberately directed disaster aid based on the party politics of local leadership and past electoral performance, not the needs of the community and disaster survivors. […] Now is the right time for all of us to agree that no one in public office, no matter how high nor how low, should play partisan politics with disaster relief. ”