When you question why many Republicans don’t trust federal employees, read the Homeland Security Department’s Inspector General report on the actions of Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) crews working after the hurricanes of 2024.
The FEMA crews in question were going door-to-door in the Lake Placid area of central Florida. This outreach was to help victims of the devastating hurricanes that blew through the area. It turned out that some FEMA crews were skipping homes that had Trump flags or signs displayed.
This behavior was a violation of the Hatch Act which prohibits federal employees from engaging in certain political campaign activities while acting in their official activities.
The Inspector General noted that these actions “eroded public trust in FEMA’s ability to treat everyone impartially….” This behavior by federal employees is not surprising. Federal employees lean left politically and favor Democrat candidates. Locally, in Palmetto, we have heard charges that a federal employee has campaigned for elected office while on his job.
In the past, city, state and federal employees did not have to worry about being prosecuted if they engaged in illegal election activities while working in a Democrat controlled city or state. Things are different now. The Trump administration is causing those government employees who engage in illegal or prohibited election activities to worry about facing legal consequences.
This is good for election integrity. (Stay tuned for what is happening in Palmetto)
Bob Spencer
Publisher
Manatee Herald
publisher@manateeherald.com
