NC moves to block political discrimination in disaster aid after FEMA bias

Following the firing of a FEMA worker for alleged political discrimination in disaster aid distribution after Hurricane Helene, North Carolina lawmakers have moved to ensure such bias never influences emergency relief efforts again.

The state House overwhelmingly passed House Bill 251, “Ensuring Nondiscrimination in Disaster Recovery Assistance,” in a 106-10 vote Tuesday, explicitly barring discrimination based on political beliefs in state-administered disaster aid.

The bill comes in response to reports last November that FEMA was selectively providing aid after Helene, culminating in the termination of Marn’i Washington, a federal emergency worker. A leaked text chain revealed Washington had instructed colleagues to avoid homes displaying Trump signs, sparking outrage and calls for reform.

“This came about after an incident that occurred following Helene, and word was getting out that FEMA was actually discriminating against people based on their political speech,” said Rep. Kelly Hastings, R-Gaston. “And so that’s when we decided we might want to send a clear message about discriminating against someone based on their political speech, being that political speech is under our constitutional jurisprudence – maybe the highest protected speech that we have.”

The bill explicitly prohibits discrimination based on political affiliation or political speech in the administration of state disaster recovery assistance. Violations of the law would be classified as a Class I felony. Additionally, the bill ensures that applicants for state emergency grants are not required to disclose personal demographic information unless legally necessary.

“Our point was that government actors should not discriminate against people, especially after a natural disaster, they should not discriminate against people based on their political speech,” Hastings added.

The bill now awaits consideration in the North Carolina Senate.

North Carolina Republican US Sens. Thom Tillis and Ted Budd sent a letter to the FEMA Administrator in November seeking answers in response to the allegations that FEMA employees were advised to avoid homes that had Trump yard signs in both Florida after Hurricane Milton and in western North Carolina after Hurricane Helene.

In response to the poor response, President Donald Trump has proposed that states should take over disaster recovery operations directly, hinting at a major shift in how federal disaster aid is handled.

The post NC moves to block political discrimination in disaster aid after FEMA bias first appeared on Carolina Journal.