The House Republican from a hurricane-battered district advises FEMA to undergo a complete overhaul.

Rep. Byron Donalds, R-Fla., criticized the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) for its inadequate response to recent deadly storms, calling for a complete overhaul of the agency.

During a House Oversight Committee hearing on FEMA, Donalds stated that the main issue damaging FEMA's reputation is the high number of citizens who are denied assistance when they first apply through the FEMA portal. If citizens are forced to go through congressional offices to receive help, this protocol needs to be completely overhauled.

During questioning by Republican members of the Oversight Committee, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell was asked to provide answers on the agency's response to recent storms and allegations of discrimination against supporters of President-elect Trump.

The response of FEMA to Hurricanes Helene and Milton, which hit the southeastern U.S. earlier this year and caused widespread destruction across multiple states, has been criticized.

The Oversight Committee has repeatedly questioned Criswell about potential "systemic bias" against Trump supporters in the agency's response to the two storms.

During the Hurricane Milton cleanup and recovery effort, Marn'i Washington instructed relief workers to bypass homes displaying Trump support signs, an incident that Criswell dismissed as an isolated occurrence in multiple hearings.

"FEMA does not have any policies, training, or information sent to field workers that discourages people from staying in their homes, including those who may have political affiliations, according to Criswell. He emphasized that the actions of one individual do not reflect the work that FEMA does."

Milton's district was hit hard, and Donalds, whose district was affected, had an issue with the answer. According to a New York Post report, an anonymous FEMA employee claimed that discrimination on the basis of political affiliation is an "open secret" at FEMA.

Donalds fiercely pushed back against Criswell's claim that an investigation into if such issues are more widespread is still ongoing, despite the incident in question being investigated by FEMA.

Despite stating at the start of this inquiry that your policies do not mandate this to happen, you have an official who was fired for saying it does occur, and another official under your supervision who is publicly stating it occurs, but you cannot confirm whether these practices take place or not, according to Donalds.

FEMA did not immediately respond to a Planet Chronicle Digital request for comment.