Joco Today

U.S. Senators Roger Marshall and James Lankford have introduced a new bill aimed at prohibiting political discrimination in federal disaster relief efforts. The legislation, named the Stopping Political Discrimination in Disaster Assistance Act, seeks to ensure that federal disaster assistance is provided without regard to political affiliation.

The initiative follows reports of a Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) employee allegedly advising teams to bypass homes displaying support for President-Elect Trump during disaster relief operations in Florida. The Stafford Act currently mandates equitable and impartial relief without discrimination based on race, color, religion, nationality, sex, age, disability, English proficiency, or economic status. This new bill proposes adding political affiliation to this list.

Senator Marshall expressed his concerns about politicization within FEMA: “This despicable politicization at FEMA is exactly why American citizens distrust the federal government.” Senator Lankford emphasized the importance of impartiality in disaster relief: “Discrimination based on political affiliation has no place in federal disaster relief.”

Other senators supporting the bill include Thom Tillis from North Carolina who described Hurricane Helene as one of the worst disasters for his state and called it a "national scandal" if anyone was denied help due to their political beliefs. Senator Rick Scott criticized the Biden-Harris administration for allegedly weaponizing the federal government against people needing help.

Senator Jon Ossoff stated that no American should be denied assistance based on political beliefs and highlighted the bipartisan nature of this legislative effort. Meanwhile, Senator Ted Budd stressed that government agencies should not discriminate against citizens based on their political views.

The bill has garnered bipartisan support with cosponsors including Senators Thom Tillis (R-NC), Rick Scott (R-FL), Ted Budd (R-NC), Jon Ossoff (D-GA), Jacky Rosen (D-NV), and Gary Peters (D-MI).