Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters Wednesday on Air Force One that the Federal Emergency Management Agency “does not have the funds to make it through the [hurricane] season,” though it does have enough to meet immediate needs. FEMA recently received $20 billion dollars in funding for disaster relief through a short-term funding bill from Congress to avoid a government shutdown until December 20th. Mayorkas did not specify how much more funding the agency may need to make it through the season.
CoreLogic, a financial and consumer analytics firm, has estimated that the total cost from the damage cause by hurricane Helene across 16 states could top $30 billion. FEMA is currently offering aid to homeowners and small businesses affected by the storm, available by check or direct deposit, which can only be used for lodging, repairs and generators, as well as a $750 check for those affected to address immediate necessities like food, water, baby formula etc. More than 150,000 households so far have registered for assistance from FEMA, a figure which is expected to rise quickly, according to agency spokesperson Frank Matranga.
The fact that Helene caused flooding in areas that are generally did not expect such an event in their mountainous environment far from the coastline has also been a significant issue. According to Swiss Re, a global insurance company, only 941 of roughly 140,000 housing units in Buncombe County, North Carolina (which includes Asheville) had active flood insurance policies before the storm.
In the days following Mayorkas’ statements concerning FEMA’s funding, a number of right-wing politicians have claimed that part of why the agency is short on resources is due to the amount it spends on undocumented migrants. On Wednesday, Texas governor Gregg Abbott tweeted that the solution to FEMA’s funding was “easy,” that they simply need to “immediately stop spending money on illegal immigration resettlement and redirect those funds to areas hit by the hurricane.” He was retweeted by the platform’s owner, Elon Musk.
Vice-presidential candidate JD Vance made similar statements pitting funding for the one issue against the other on Friday: “Especially if there’s another disaster, they’ve said they might have to go back to the well, and I think a lot of Americans are saying, ‘well, how can we afford to give billions of dollars to illegal immigrants in this country, but we’ve got to go back to the well to provide disaster relief for our own citizens?’ That’s a disgrace.” Donald Trump went so far as to say that the agency was “out of money” because they “spent it all […] on illegal immigrants.” The Senator from Ohio missed the vote allocating additional funds to the agency in favor of attending campaign events.
FEMA has set up a webpage to address the spurious claims which reads: “FEMA has enough money right now for immediate response and recovery needs. If you were affected by Helene, do not hesitate to apply for disaster assistance as there is a variety of help available for different needs.” The agency has funds allocated for different priorities through different streams, with its funding for helping communities fund “food, shelter, clothing, acute medical care, and transportation to noncitizens recently released from DHS custody and awaiting their immigration court proceedings” being shared with DHS and CBP in a separate pot from its disaster relief funds. Legally, the agency cannot divert funding from one pot to the other.
While the amount of money being devoted to this program through FEMA’s budget is increasing year over year – from around $300 million in 2023 to over $600 million this year – it is a far cry from a major expense out of the agency’s overall yearly budget, which is expected to be over $30 billion next year. All told, the funds from the agency’s budget devoted for migrants amounts to 1% of what it spends on disaster relief.
