A senior official in the Federal Emergency Management Agency has drawn renewed scrutiny after past comments about “teleportation” resurfaced, alongside questions about his background in Texas government and conservative activism.
Gregg Phillips, appointed by Donald Trump in December to oversee disaster response and recovery at Federal Emergency Management Agency, has made claims in podcast appearances that he experienced two incidents in which he was “transported,” including one that he said brought him to a Waffle House location in Georgia.
Phillips made the remarks during an episode of the podcast Onward, co-hosted by Catherine Engelbrecht. In a subsequent post on Truth Social, he said the comments were taken out of context and noted he had been undergoing treatment for cancer and was heavily medicated at the time of the recording. He did not fully retract the claim, instead describing the experience using religious terms such as “translated” or “transported.”
Phillips now oversees FEMA operations that include disaster aid distribution, search-and-rescue coordination and partnerships with local, state and federal agencies.
His appointment has also renewed attention to his earlier work in Texas. In the early 2000s, Phillips served as a deputy commissioner at the Texas Health and Human Services, where he helped implement House Bill 2292, a law that consolidated multiple social service agencies and expanded privatization. He resigned in 2004.
A subsequent investigation by the Houston Chronicle reported that the legislation financially benefited Phillips and a private consultant, raising questions about conflicts of interest.
Phillips later worked in conservative data and consulting and became associated with True the Vote, a Houston-based organization that promoted claims of voter fraud. Through that role, he gained national attention for asserting that millions of illegal votes were cast in U.S. elections, claims that election officials have widely disputed.
As of publication, Phillips had not responded to requests for comment through his FEMA office.
