NASHVILLE, Tenn. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) sent a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) following reports that Hurricane Helene victims had their FEMA disaster payments stolen by fraudsters. Senator Blackburn’s office has opened ten cases of stolen checks.

Claims of Stolen FEMA Checks Span Several Tennessee Counties

“I write to you today to express my grave concerns regarding reports that Hurricane Helene survivors’ assistance checks from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) have been cashed by individuals who have stolen these survivors’ identities. Defrauding victims of a catastrophic disaster like Hurricane Helene is one of the most disgusting crimes imaginable, and you must do everything in your power to investigate these claims and to rectify the situation to the best of your ability… These claims, spanning Unicoi, Johnson, Carter, [Cocke], and Washington Counties in Tennessee, are only the instances that we are aware of, but there are undoubtedly more victims of these horrific crimes. Survivors indicate that, when they contacted FEMA, the customer service was abhorrent, with one survivor describing their treatment as a ‘nightmare.’ According to these disaster survivors, the call wait times and the bureaucracy at the agency were entirely unacceptable.”

Six Months Later, One Survivor Still Has Not Received His Check

“One survivor relayed this concern to FEMA in October and—six months later—still has not received a reissue payment. When made aware of the fact that the check had been cashed fraudulently, FEMA told the survivor that the matter was out of the agency’s hands and that they should contact the Treasury Department.”

Public Confidence in FEMA Is at an All-Time Low Following Scandal under the Biden Administration

“This level of bureaucracy and needless red tape must end. Following reports that FEMA employees under the Biden administration refused to offer assistance to survivors who expressed support for President Trump, confidence in FEMA is at an all-time low. At a time when assistance checks necessary for Tennesseans to rebuild their lives are being stolen and they cannot rely on FEMA to help, the American people have clearly lost all faith in FEMA as an institution. I am grateful to Secretary Noem for her work to root out bad actors at FEMA.”

Click here to read full text of the letter.