(CNN) — The former Federal Emergency Management Agency employee who was fired earlier this month after being accused of jumping over the homes of Donald Trump supporters while providing aid in Florida after Hurricane Milton told CNN Monday night that he was simply following FEMA protocol.

“What I wish the American people knew is even before I deployed to Florida, that was the work culture there,” Marni Washington told CNN’s Laura Coates. “We were on two teams in Florida, and the first team, when we arrived, were implementing avoidance and de-escalation, and unfortunately that trend went with those Trump signs.”

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell is set to testify on Capitol Hill Tuesday afternoon before the House Oversight Committee in what are likely to be heated hearings as lawmakers ask her about disaster assistance and whether the agency avoided providing aid to Republicans in hard-hit areas.

CNN reported on threats against FEMA workers in the wake of Hurricane Helene a month earlier, including the case of a North Carolina man who was arrested for allegedly threatening harm against FEMA employees in October. Local authorities said the man was armed with a handgun and a rifle when he was arrested.

FEMA temporarily suspended aid to several communities in North Carolina, and the relationship was resumed after about a day, a FEMA spokesman said at the time.

Washington said her team encountered hostility from Florida residents as they went door-to-door.

“Yes, we have had people verbalize that our presence is unwelcome and unwelcome. Some people were kind about it and some people weren’t so nice about it,” she said.

Washington said FEMA guidelines for aid workers in Florida are to remove themselves from hostile situations if they feel threatened or unsafe.

“I did not act of my own free will. Everything we did was not focused on safety and making sure our team was comfortable,” Washington told Coates. “I do not create a policy. FEMA does. I only implement it on the ground.”

Asked if her relief team avoided all homes with Trump signs, Washington said: “It was just select areas where there were teammates who felt uncomfortable, didn’t feel safe and feared for their safety “.

“We registered Trump supporters, we also provided them with services, just avoiding areas that were hostile,” she added.

After Washington was fired, Criswell released a statement saying, “This is a clear violation of FEMA’s core values ​​and principles to help people regardless of their political affiliation. This was reprehensible.”

“It would be nice if Ms. Criswell would be humane and come to terms with the fact that FEMA has not addressed the safety concerns of the crew and field specialists,” Washington said. “There are a lot of reports that talk about hostile encounters, that’s how FEMA describes them, and our method is avoidance. I don’t understand why we’re hiding this from the American people.”

Washington said she has not been asked to appear before lawmakers herself but would be willing to do so.

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