By Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro N. Mayorkas made a startling announcement earlier in the week, stating that the Federal Emergency Management Agency lacks sufficient funding to continue operations through the remainder of the hurricane season. The news comes as millions have been impacted by Hurricane Helene, which made landfall in Florida six days ago and swept north, causing widespread destruction across six states.
“We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have,” Mr. Mayorkas told reporters while en route to meet with officials in South Carolina. “We are expecting another hurricane hitting — we do not have the funds, FEMA does not have the funds, to make it through the season.”
FEMA is currently engaged in search-and-rescue missions in remote parts of Appalachia, where many areas remain difficult to access. The hurricane has claimed at least 183 lives, prompting President Biden to approve major disaster declarations for the affected states in recent days, enabling federal assistance for recovery efforts.
While the Biden administration claims it is running out of cash to help Americans, writes The New York Post, the department has spent roughly $1.4 billion to house and feed migrants who have flooded America’s cities over the past two years.
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.
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 through the FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter Program, which funds relief not associated with natural disasters, and the 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.
Mayorkas 3 months ago: FEMA is “tremendously prepared” for hurricane season
Mayorkas today: FEMA is out of money and can’t make it through hurricane season. “We do not have the funds”
Look at this. 3 months apart: pic.twitter.com/aX3o0NGihb
— Gregg Re (@gregg_re) October 4, 2024
While people have seen lives destroyed, Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Georgia for a photo op to assess the damage and share the news that FEMA would be handing out a whopping $750 to victims.
Kamala is on the ground in Georgia two days after President Trump’s visit to offer those who’ve lost everything $750. Don’t spend it all at once.
If you were Ukrainian or a migrant you’d qualify for more assistance, but you’re just an American citizen, so don’t expect much. pic.twitter.com/9zT8VPS1SB
— Bad Hombre (@joma_gc) October 2, 2024
That, however, was better than President Biden on Thursday night. When asked about the recovery efforts, the president said he forgot about the storm.
I don’t even know what to say anymore. pic.twitter.com/8dtTEqIevF
— Doug Powers (@ThePowersThatBe) October 4, 2024
Biden has been heavily criticized for his lack of response to the disaster. Georgia Governor Brian Kemp told reporters that he was unable to reach the president and instead had to speak to his chief of staff earlier in the week after the White House did not declaring a proper emergency declaration left millions out in the rain.
“When the first emergency declarations came down, there was only 11 counties in that. A lot of people were outraged, including me, because there was such devastation in up to 90 counties,” reported The New York Post.
Presidential disaster declarations grant the counties named to apply for and receive funding from the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), making them a vital part of disaster recovery. Only counties mentioned in the declarations are eligible to receive aid, however, which meant that nearly 80 Georgia counties were were forgotten by Biden’s initial action.
🚨Brian Kemp says he “was outraged,” had to call the White House after only 11 of the 90 counties hit were included in the FEMA disaster declaration — rural counties neglected.
Kamala was at a fundraiser during the storm.
Far bigger scandal than Katrina.pic.twitter.com/BFLBxFt3pT
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) October 3, 2024
“So we called the White House. We spoke to the president’s chief of staff, the FEMA administrator and said, look, you’re sending the signal that you’re not paying attention to some of these rural communities,” the Republican governor said.
