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DHS Probe Finds FEMA Recorded Political Expression and Delayed Aid

The findings triggered a Justice Department referral.

Donald Trump delivers remarks to the press in Valdosta, Georgia, September 30, 2024, in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Secretary of Homeland Security Kristi Noem, delivers remarks during an event with President Donald Trump on natural disaster preparedness in the Oval Office of the White House on June 10, 2025.
An American flag is reflected in floodwaters from Hurricane Helene in Swannanoa, North Carolina, on October 4, 2024.
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Overview

  • The DHS Privacy Office concluded FEMA staff from 2021 to 2024 logged survivors’ political signs and beliefs in agency systems in violation of the Privacy Act of 1974.
  • Investigators found the data was used to bypass or postpone assistance, with agency software confirming skipped home visits and missing aid notifications tied to political notes.
  • Internal field notes and supervisor messages directed teams to avoid or delay visits to homes displaying Trump flags or pro–Second Amendment symbols, including examples in Florida, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana.
  • Evidence spanned multiple disasters, from Hurricane Ida in 2021 to Hurricane Milton in 2024, with documented instances across eight states.
  • DHS referred the matter to the Justice Department for possible enforcement and canceled the door-to-door survey practice cited as facilitating the discrimination.