500 signatures reached
To: Donald Trump, Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Republicans in Congress
Tell Republicans: Stop attacking disaster relief!
Right-wing disinformation and attacks against disaster workers are preventing people from getting the urgent help they need. In the wake of devastating natural disasters like Hurricanes Helene and Milton, accessible and accurate information, including weather forecasts and disaster relief, can be lifesaving for those impacted. Instead of focusing on helping our communities recover from these latest natural disasters, Republicans have been disseminating harmful disinformation about FEMA's response and relief efforts, discouraging people from getting the help they urgently need.
GOP-fueled conspiracies have even resulted in meteorologists receiving death threats for reporting on the weather and explaining climate science. The GOP must stop waging disinformation campaigns that erode public trust in our institutions; our safety and our climate future depend on it.
Why is this important?
Disaster relief and weather forecasting shouldn't be partisan issues. Politicizing disaster response and spreading lies about FEMA's role undermines public trust in a vital federal agency–and this disinformation can be life-threatening during natural disasters.
Republicans like Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene have spread fringe disinformation accusing the government and Democrats of controlling the weather, making it difficult–and even dangerous–for meteorologists to deliver lifesaving information ahead of climate disasters. Meteorologists say that over the last few months, climate conspiracy theories and threatening messages have been flooding their inboxes. Instead of being able to focus solely on delivering lifesaving weather forecasts ahead of natural disasters, meteorologists now also have to debunk GOP-proliferated conspiracy theories about the government controlling the weather, and are even receiving death threats for doing their job.
FEMA workers have also been targeted by right-wing harassment and abuse. In Hurricane Helene's aftermath, Donald Trump falsely accused FEMA of stealing donations and diverting disaster aid to migrants. Threats of truckloads of militia members "hunting FEMA" forced FEMA and U.S. Forest Service workers to pause their lifesaving recovery efforts to relocate workers out of fear for their safety. Survivors of natural disasters who urgently need assistance are refusing FEMA's help because of this disinformation.
GOP-led disinformation campaigns against our disaster relief workers and meteorologists are threatening public safety and undermining public trust in our lifesaving institutions. In times of crisis, our elected officials should be working to deliver aid and recovery–not spreading conspiracy theories on social media. Politicizing disaster response efforts for political points at the expense of real people who are suffering after natural disasters is unacceptable. Add your name to the petition to demand the GOP stop their life-threatening disinformation campaign and put people first!
Photo credit:
Salon / Getty Images
Sources:
- https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/14/us/meteorologists-threats-conspiracy-theories-hurricanes.html
- https://www.rollingstone.com/culture/culture-features/hurricane-milton-misinformation-meteorlogist-death-threats-1235130352/
- https://www.nytimes.com/2024/10/06/us/hurricane-helene-north-carolina-misinformation.html
- https://www.washingtonpost.com/weather/2024/10/13/federal-officials-nc-temporarily-relocated-amid-report-armed-militia-email-shows/