FEMA SAYS ON ITS WEBSITE THAT ANY CLAIMS THAT DISASTER FUNDS WERE REROUTED TO BORDER-RELATED EFFORTS ARE 'FALSE' AND THAT THE FUNDS HAVE 'NOT BEEN DIVERTED TO OTHER NON-DISASTER RELATED EFFORTS'

Feds say there’s no money left to respond to hurricanes — after FEMA spent $1.4B on migrants

By Steven Nelson

 

New York Post 

Oct. 3, 2024

 

 

Hurricane Helene devastated the Southeast and killed at least 202 people.  

 

WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas set off outrage Wednesday when he told reporters that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “does not have the funds” to see Americans through the rest of this Atlantic hurricane season — after the agency spent more than $1.4 billion since the fall of 2022 to address the migrant crisis.

“We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have,” Mayorkas said during a press gaggle on Air Force One en route to tour damage from Hurricane Helene in South and North Carolina.

“We are expecting another hurricane hitting,” he added. “We do not have the funds. FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season and what — what is imminent.”

Critics pointed out that the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) allocated $640.9 million this year in FEMA-administered funds to aid state and local governments coping with the influx of asylum seekers — though Mayorkas’ office fired back late Thursday, insisting that those funds couldn’t be used for hurricane relief because Congress authorized them specifically for the migrant crisis.

“This is easy. Mayorkas and FEMA — immediately stop spending money on illegal immigration resettlement and redirect those funds to areas hit by the hurricane. Put Americans first,” Texas Republican Gov. Greg Abbott tweeted Wednesday in response to the DHS chief.

“Yeah!” agreed Elon Musk, the billionaire owner of X and CEO of Tesla and SpaceX.

Abbott is a top critic of Mayorkas’ mass parole of asylum seekers into the US after President Biden repudiated former President Donald Trump’s “Remain in Mexico” policy — with the governor busing migrants to Democrat-led jurisdictions such as New York City, forcing local budget cuts to house them.

Over two years, more than $1.4 billion has been committed from FEMA-administered programs to support non-federal entities that are taking care of migrants.

DHS allocated $780 million for the migrant crisis last year initially through the FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter Program, which funds relief not associated with natural disasters, and then through the new FEMA Shelter and Services Program, which was authorized in late 2022 by Congress to respond to the migrant crisis. 

The $640.9 million spent this year comes solely from the Shelter and Services Program.

“These claims are completely false,” DHS said in a statement Thursday to Fox News following the Republican outcry.

“As Secretary Mayorkas said, FEMA has the necessary resources to meet the immediate needs associated with Hurricane Helene and other disasters. The Shelter and Services Program (SSP) is a completely separate, appropriated grant program that was authorized and funded by Congress and is not associated in any way with FEMA’s disaster-related authorities or funding streams.”

 Texas Gov. Greg Abbott slammed Mayorkas for spending $640 million this year to aid state and local governments housing migrants. 

It’s unclear if federal officials have the power to redirect migrant-focused funds to natural disaster victims.

The original program from which migrant funds flowed aimed to alleviate homelessness — with 1983 legislation setting up the Emergency Food and Shelter Program and calling for “projects and activities in civil jurisdictions with high unemployment, or in labor surplus areas, or in political units or in pockets of poverty.”

The December 2022 funding bill authorizing the split-off program for spending on migrants vaguely described the purpose as for “providing shelter and other services to families and individuals encountered by the Department of Homeland Security.”

A relatively paltry $4 million has been paid directly to families and individuals in the week since Hurricane Helene ravaged the Southeast, killing at least 202 people and causing severe flooding damage from Florida to North Carolina, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said Thursday.

 

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas (right) said FEMA doesn’t have enough funds to cover hurricane season needs. 

 

Those funds are from a $10 million FEMA allocation that allows storm victims grants of $750 for groceries.

Biden said Wednesday during an operational briefing on Hurricane Helene in North Carolina that “It’s going to cost billions of dollars to deal with this storm and all the communities affected. And Congress has an obligation to ensure the states have the resources they need.”

The lack of available FEMA funds stoked outrage among congressional Republicans, who are not due back in session until after Election Day.

“The Biden-Harris administration took more than a billion tax dollars that had been allocated to FEMA for disaster relief and used it to house illegal aliens,” fumed Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). “Now, they’ve abandoned American hurricane victims in North Carolina, Georgia, Florida, South Carolina, and Tennessee.”

Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), whose district neighbors the disaster zone, tweeted: “FEMA spending over a billion dollars on illegals while they leave Americans stranded and without help is treasonous. U.S. citizens are dying. Pray for our country folks.” 

 Flooding damage in Chimney Rock, NC, swept away homes, causing billions in damages.

Americans impacted by the storm are eligible for $750 from FEMA to buy groceries. 

 

Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) added: “‘The Biden-Harris FEMA spent over $1 BILLION on funding illegal aliens. America LAST.”

“Connect the dots, if you can,” wrote Tim Murtaugh, an adviser to former President Donald Trump’s campaign. “DHS says FEMA might not have enough cash to help people through hurricane season. But in 2 years of a new Biden-Harris program, they’ve spent $1 BILLION on housing and other services for migrants.”

FEMA did not immediately respond to The Post’s request for comment.

___________________

Trump FEMA Claim Debunked: Agency Not Running Out Of Money Because Of Migrants

 

By Alison Durkee

 

 

Forbes 

Oct 4, 2024

 

 

 

Former President Donald Trump arrives at Valdosta Regional Airport to visit areas affected by Hurricane Helene on September 30 in Valdosta, Georgia.

 

Former President Donald Trump and his allies have claimed the Federal Emergency Management Agency can’t respond well enough to the aftermath of Hurricane Helene because it’s diverted so much money to helping migrants—but that’s not true, as FEMA’s funds for handling disaster relief efforts are separate from money given to immigrant communities.

Key Facts

Trump has repeatedly alleged that FEMA is having money issues because of funds spent on migrants, claiming at a rally Thursday that “Kamala spent all her FEMA money—billions of dollars—on housing for illegal migrants” and quoting Fox News host Jesse Watters as saying, “FEMA is now out of money, because Joe Biden and Kamala spent over a billion dollars of FEMA cash on migrants.”

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas did say Tuesday that FEMA’s disaster relief efforts are facing a dire cash crunch, warning that while the agency is “meeting the immediate needs” of Hurricane Helene recovery “with the money that we have,” it “does not have the funds to make it through the [hurricane] season.”

But those financial issues aren’t because of money going to migrants: While FEMA and U.S. Customs and Border Protection have given more than $1 billion since the start of 2023 to communities that are taking in migrants, that’s been through the agency’s Shelter and Services Program, a totally different funding pot than the Disaster Relief Fund used to respond to hurricanes and other natural disasters.

FEMA says on its website that any claims that disaster funds were rerouted to border-related efforts are “false,” noting the Disaster Relief Fund is a dedicated fund for managing disasters and money meant for the fund “has not been diverted to other, non-disaster related efforts.”

Congress determines how much money goes to FEMA’s disaster fund, and the fund faces issues after lawmakers declined to allocate additional funding for FEMA’s efforts in the stopgap funding bill it passed last month, only extending FEMA’s existing funding level and allowing it to draw from $20 billion in funds more quickly.

Democratic lawmakers expressed concern about FEMA’s budget even before Helene hit—as FEMA had to stop funding non-emergency rebuilding efforts in order to preserve funds—and some have now called for Congress to come back from its recess to pass legislation that would give the disaster relief fund more cash.

What To Watch For

Hurricane season runs through Nov. 30 with September and October usually the busiest months, the Associated Press notes, so it’s possible another hurricane could strike by the end of the month that FEMA would struggle to respond to with its present funding levels. It remains unclear whether lawmakers will return to Washington to pass more funding before their recess ends in November. While even some Republicans have advocated for doing so—including Sens. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., Rick Scott, R-Fla., and Marsha Blackburn, R-Tenn., all from Helene-hit states—House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., told The New York Times “there’s no necessity for Congress to come back.”

Big Number

$34 billion. That’s approximately how much Hurricane Helene’s devastation could cost, according to a projection Moody’s Analytics made Thursday, based on estimated property damage costing up to $26 billion and an estimated $5 billion to $8 billion in resulting economic losses. Those estimates are still early and are likely to change as there’s a clearer sense of the scope of the damage, Moody’s noted.

Is Kamala Harris Giving Only $750 To Hurricane Victims?

Another claim made by Trump and his allies is that Vice President Kamala Harris and the Biden administration are giving only $750 to victims of Helene’s devastation and not doing anything else. That is also false, with FEMA noting on its website that the $750 figure is specifically for Serious Needs Assistance, which is immediate aid that disaster victims can receive to pay for essential items like food, water and emergency supplies. Victims can still apply for and receive additional support from FEMA on top of that, however, such as money for temporary housing and repairs.

Key Background

Hurricane Helene has brought widespread devastation to parts of the South including North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia and Florida, with an estimated death toll so far of 215. The natural disaster has also become a political debate ahead of the presidential election, as Trump has criticized the Biden administration’s response to the disaster, often by making up false accusations. Trump claimed Monday that Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp was “having a hard time getting the president on the phone” and that the “federal government is not being very responsive,” for instance, even as Kemp clarified he had spoken with Biden and the president told Kemp to call him directly if he needed further assistance. Trump has also claimed Biden and Harris “have left Americans to drown”—which is false, as the government has sent significant supplies and federal troops to affected areas—and Trump allies have pointed to the FEMA’s equity efforts to claim the agency’s “#1 goal is to be woke.” The Biden administration has strongly denounced Trump and his allies’ claims: FEMA spokesperson Jacklyn Rothenberg said the agency “help[s] all people regardless of background as fast as possible,” and Biden angrily responded to Trump’s false claims on Monday, saying the ex-president is “lying.” “The reason I get so angry about it … I care what he communicates to the people that are in need,” Biden said. “He implies that we’re not doing everything possible. We are.”