Homeland Safety Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’ assertion created a stir within the already heated political panorama of America when he revealed on Wednesday that the Federal Emergency Administration Company (FEMA) “doesn’t have the funds” to maintain operations by the rest of the Atlantic hurricane season.
The revelation triggered a backlash, with critics pointing to FEMA’s allocation of $640.9 million in 2023 to help state and native governments in managing the inflow of asylum seekers.
This revelation adopted the disclosure that FEMA had spent over $1.4 billion addressing the continuing migrant disaster since late 2022. The announcement got here whereas Mayorkas was en path to survey injury from Hurricane Helene within the Carolinas.
“We’re assembly the rapid wants with the cash now we have,” Mayorkas acknowledged aboard Air Pressure One. Nonetheless, he warned of imminent challenges, saying, “We wouldn’t have the funds. FEMA doesn’t have the funds to make it by the season.”
Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a staunch critic of President Biden’s border insurance policies, voiced his discontent, tweeting, “Mayorkas and FEMA — instantly cease spending cash on unlawful immigration resettlement and redirect these funds to areas hit by the hurricane. Put People first.”
Elon Musk, CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, additionally supported Abbott’s name for a shift in priorities and replied to Abbott’s social media publish on X and wrote, “Yeah!”.
The migrant disaster has been a persistent supply of stress between Republican governors like Abbott and the Biden administration. Abbott’s high-profile resolution to bus asylum seekers to Democrat-led cities, together with New York, has compelled native governments to stretch their budgets to accommodate the inflow.
As per the New York Put up, FEMA-administered applications have spent over $1.4 billion to assist non-federal entities dealing with the migrant disaster prior to now two years. Of that, $780 million was allotted final 12 months by FEMA’s Emergency Meals and Shelter Program, and one other $640.9 million was spent this 12 months by the Shelter and Companies Program.
Mayorkas defended the spending, stressing that the funds used for the migrant disaster had been separate from these allotted for catastrophe aid. “The Shelter and Companies Program is a very separate, appropriated grant program that was licensed and funded by Congress and isn’t related in any manner with FEMA’s disaster-related authorities or funding streams,” the Division of Homeland Safety mentioned in a press release.
Regardless of these clarifications, Republican lawmakers had been fast to specific their frustration. Congressman Jim Jordan (R-Ohio) criticised the administration, saying, “The Biden-Harris administration took greater than a billion tax {dollars} that had been allotted to FEMA for catastrophe aid and used it to deal with unlawful aliens. Now, they’ve deserted American hurricane victims.”
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) went additional, calling FEMA’s actions “treasonous” and pointing to the lack of lives within the hurricane-affected areas. In the meantime, Rep. Eli Crane (R-Ariz.) and Trump adviser Tim Murtaugh each decried the administration’s priorities, accusing the Biden-Harris administration of placing “America final.”
With Congress not set to reconvene till after Election Day, the strain on FEMA and the Biden administration is mounting, as Hurricane Helene has already claimed 202 lives and left a path of devastation throughout the southeastern US.
Whereas $10 million has been allotted for storm victims, providing grants of $750 for groceries, it pales compared to the billions wanted to get better from the catastrophe. Because the nation braces for extra hurricanes, questions concerning the administration’s dealing with of catastrophe aid funds proceed to swirl.
