The North Carolina state representatives have passed legislation that prohibits those rendering emergency aid from discriminating against individuals they help based on political affiliation or speech. The bill, H.B. 251, also includes a provision stating that applicants for state emergency assistance grants do not have to provide personal demographic information unless it is necessary to award the grant or required by law. This legislation was implemented following reports that FEMA was discriminating against individuals based on their political speech after hurricanes Helene and Milton devastated areas across six states. Republican State Rep. Kelly Hastings stated that political speech is highly protected under constitutional law, prompting the decision to pass this bill.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) faced criticism after an agency supervisor reportedly instructed workers to avoid reaching out to homeowners with Trump signs in their yards following Hurricane Milton. The former FEMA supervisor, Marn’i Washington, revealed on “Fox News @ Night” that she was carrying out orders from her superiors to avoid potentially hostile political encounters. Washington was ultimately fired and FEMA confirmed that her actions were “reprehensible.” The bill prohibiting discrimination based on political speech passed the House with a vote of 106-10, with all 10 no votes coming from Democrats. Washington claimed that the culture within FEMA already involved avoiding Trump voters’ homes before she began working there.
Despite FEMA’s approval of over $860 million in aid, including assistance for individuals and communities, after Hurricane Helene, many North Carolinians impacted by the storm were still living in trailers throughout the winter. The disaster left 107 dead in North Carolina alone. The Biden administration reported in January that FEMA deployed over 8,500 personnel to the area and provided assistance to 153,000 families in North Carolina. However, residents expressed frustration with the government’s response to the disaster. The bill amending the North Carolina Emergency Management Act will now proceed to the Senate for approval.
The former FEMA supervisor, Marn’i Washington, argued that avoiding homes with Trump signs was already part of the culture within the agency based on community trends from hostile political encounters. She claimed that these orders came from individuals above her, contradicting FEMA’s statement that her actions were an isolated incident. Washington suggested that the Florida team had been avoiding Trump voters’ homes prior to her involvement. Despite this, FEMA emphasized that her actions were not representative of the agency’s overall practices.
The bill passed by North Carolina state representatives aims to prevent discrimination based on political speech in the provision of emergency aid. The legislation was prompted by reports of FEMA allegedly discriminating against individuals based on their political affiliation following hurricanes Helene and Milton. The former FEMA supervisor, Marn’i Washington, stated that she was following orders from her superiors to avoid political encounters that could potentially be hostile. The bill, which received bipartisan support in the House, will now move on to the Senate for further consideration. Despite FEMA’s efforts to provide assistance after Hurricane Helene, many North Carolinians impacted by the storm continued to face challenges and expressed frustration with the government’s response.
