Rep. Jared Moskowitz tamped down rumors on Tuesday that President-elect Donald Trump is eyeing him to potentially take charge at the Federal Emergency Management Agency.
“I appreciate the speculation but I am staying in Congress and running for re-election. It’s an honor to serve the people of Florida’s 23rd district,” Moskowitz (D-Fla.) wrote on X.
“To be clear, nothing was ever offered.”
On Monday, multiple reports emerged that Moskowitz was a top contender to helm FEMA under the incoming Trump administration. His congressional office did not respond to requests for comment.
Prior to his ascension into Congress back in January 2023, Moskowitz had served as the director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management, which works closely with the federal government on responding to natural disasters.
Moskowitz, 43, held that role from 2019 through 2021 under Florida’s Republican Gov. Ron DeSantis, despite hailing from a rival party.
Generally regarded as one of the more moderate Democrats in the House of Representatives, Moskowitz hasn’t been shy about criticizing his party over its handling of antisemitism that erupted in the US in the wake of the Israel-Hamas war.
Shortly after Trump announced the creation of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) — which despite its name, is not actually a government department — Moskowitz expressed interest in the concept.
Then, earlier this month, he became the first Democrat to join the House DOGE Caucus, helmed by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.).
One of his key suggestions is to rework FEMA’s place in the federal government. Moskowitz wants to take it out of the Department of Homeland Security, which he believes has “become too big,” and wants the agency to be more prominent in the president’s purview.
Moreover, Moskowitz has argued that it is important for Democrats to engage with DOGE and he has noted that most caucuses in the lower chamber are bipartisan.
Since then, other Democrats such as Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) and Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-Vt.), who caucuses with Democrats, have expressed interest in collaborating with DOGE on rooting out government waste, especially when it comes to the Pentagon.
Why Trump might want to poach a Dem from the House
Since Trump’s election victory, Republicans have lost or are poised to lose three seats in the House. Trump had tapped House GOP Conference Chair Elise Stefanik (R-NY) as his pick for US ambassador to the United Nations and Rep. Mike Waltz (R-Fla.) for national security adviser.
He also selected former Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-Fla.) for US attorney general, though that went up in flames. Gaetz announced he won’t return to Congress and will focus on his new show with the One America News Network.
That means that early next year, Republicans could briefly find themselves with a one-seat majority, depending on the timing of Stefanik’s and Waltz’s resignations.
Potentially exacerbating the situation is Rep. Victoria Spartz’s (R-Ind.) assertion that she won’t “participate in the caucus” — though it’s not entirely clear what she means.
If Trump manages to pull a Democrat out of the House, it could make his life easier, especially as he hopes for Congress to move quickly and send him key legislative wins early into his next administration.
Moskowitz had been an unabashed critic of Trump, even pitching legislation earlier this year to name a federal prison in Miami after the president-elect.
Both Trump and Vice President-elect JD Vance have conveyed openness toward selecting Democrats for their administration.
