WASHINGTON, D.C. - On Thursday, October 3rd, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) does in fact have the funds needed for "immediate response and recovery" in the wake of Hurricane Helene, even though Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas reportedly warned about a potential "lack of money."
According to Fox News, FEMA spokesperson Jaclyn Rothenberg wrote on X, "FEMA has what it needs for immediate response and recovery efforts. As [Administrator Deanne Criswell] said, she has the full authority to spend against the President's budget, but we're not out of hurricane season yet so we need to keep a close eye on it." The agency had recently lifted immediate needs funding, which allows the agency to focus on urgent efforts and pause non-urgent projects, but Rothenberg said that the agency may still need to go back to that "and we will be watching it closely."
On Wednesday, October 2nd, Mayorkas made headlines when he went on record saying that FEMA does not have enough funding to make it through hurricane season, which lasts until November. He said, "We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting. FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season."
Mayorkas spoke on Air Force One as the states and the federal government continue to assess the damage from Hurricane Helene, which hit several states after making landfall in Florida just about a week ago.
The massive Hurricane has killed over 200 people with search and rescue crews still looking for missing people. Mayorkas calls echoed those by President Joe Biden, who said that Congress may need to pass a supplemental spending bill to help the states impacted by the hurricane.
Congress recently made $20 billion in immediate funding available for FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund as part of a bipartisan deal to avoid a government shutdown at the end of September. However, Congress is out until mid-November, after Election Day. At the same event, Mayorkas later clarified his remarks, saying that the short-term funding does not give the agency stability.
He said, "We have the immediate needs right now. On a continuing resolution, we have funds, but that is not a stable source of supply, if you will. This is a multibillion-dollar multiyear recovery. It's very important to note that even though we're on a continuing resolution, we can obtain spend-fast funds so that we can dip into funds that are slated for the duration of the year to meet immediate needs."
He added, "So, we are meeting the moment, but that doesn't speak about the future and the fact, as I mentioned earlier, that these extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and severity, and we have to be funded for the sake of the American people. This is not a political issue."
On Capitol Hill, a source familiar with the congressional appropriations process also said that the Disaster Relief Funding is not in immediate danger of running out of money. That person said, "While we will not know the full cost of Helene until the first 30-day estimate comes in, FEMA ended last year with a little less than $2 billion (which carried over). The CR also provided them access to an additional $20.261 billion. That is roughly $22 billion in total for this fiscal year so far."
Even so, Mayorkas' remarks about a potential lack of funding drew criticism from some Republicans and conservatives, who had pointed to funding that was allegedly used by FEMA for grants to house and care for illegal immigrants who had crossed into the country via the southern border. On X, Texas Governor Greg Abbott wrote, "Mayorkas and FEMA — immediately stop spending money on illegal immigration resettlement and redirect those funds to areas hit by the hurricane."
Critics also referenced the Shelter and Services Program (SSP) that reportedly spent $650 million in Fiscal Year 2023 on grants to non-profits and local organizations to assist immigrants that had illegally crossed the border. The Biden administration pushed back against that criticism, saying that the funding is appropriated by Congress and is completely separate from disaster relief funding.
A DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "These claims are completely false. 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."
White House spokesperson Angelo Fernandez Hernandez also called the claim that money had been spent on services for illegal immigrants instead "false." He said, "The Disaster Relief Fund is specifically appropriated by Congress to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate impacts of natural disasters. It is completely separate from other grant programs administered by FEMA or DHS."
According to Fox News, FEMA spokesperson Jaclyn Rothenberg wrote on X, "FEMA has what it needs for immediate response and recovery efforts. As [Administrator Deanne Criswell] said, she has the full authority to spend against the President's budget, but we're not out of hurricane season yet so we need to keep a close eye on it." The agency had recently lifted immediate needs funding, which allows the agency to focus on urgent efforts and pause non-urgent projects, but Rothenberg said that the agency may still need to go back to that "and we will be watching it closely."
On Wednesday, October 2nd, Mayorkas made headlines when he went on record saying that FEMA does not have enough funding to make it through hurricane season, which lasts until November. He said, "We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting. FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season."
Mayorkas spoke on Air Force One as the states and the federal government continue to assess the damage from Hurricane Helene, which hit several states after making landfall in Florida just about a week ago.
The massive Hurricane has killed over 200 people with search and rescue crews still looking for missing people. Mayorkas calls echoed those by President Joe Biden, who said that Congress may need to pass a supplemental spending bill to help the states impacted by the hurricane.
Congress recently made $20 billion in immediate funding available for FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund as part of a bipartisan deal to avoid a government shutdown at the end of September. However, Congress is out until mid-November, after Election Day. At the same event, Mayorkas later clarified his remarks, saying that the short-term funding does not give the agency stability.
He said, "We have the immediate needs right now. On a continuing resolution, we have funds, but that is not a stable source of supply, if you will. This is a multibillion-dollar multiyear recovery. It's very important to note that even though we're on a continuing resolution, we can obtain spend-fast funds so that we can dip into funds that are slated for the duration of the year to meet immediate needs."
He added, "So, we are meeting the moment, but that doesn't speak about the future and the fact, as I mentioned earlier, that these extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and severity, and we have to be funded for the sake of the American people. This is not a political issue."
On Capitol Hill, a source familiar with the congressional appropriations process also said that the Disaster Relief Funding is not in immediate danger of running out of money. That person said, "While we will not know the full cost of Helene until the first 30-day estimate comes in, FEMA ended last year with a little less than $2 billion (which carried over). The CR also provided them access to an additional $20.261 billion. That is roughly $22 billion in total for this fiscal year so far."
Even so, Mayorkas' remarks about a potential lack of funding drew criticism from some Republicans and conservatives, who had pointed to funding that was allegedly used by FEMA for grants to house and care for illegal immigrants who had crossed into the country via the southern border. On X, Texas Governor Greg Abbott wrote, "Mayorkas and FEMA — immediately stop spending money on illegal immigration resettlement and redirect those funds to areas hit by the hurricane."
Critics also referenced the Shelter and Services Program (SSP) that reportedly spent $650 million in Fiscal Year 2023 on grants to non-profits and local organizations to assist immigrants that had illegally crossed the border. The Biden administration pushed back against that criticism, saying that the funding is appropriated by Congress and is completely separate from disaster relief funding.
A DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital, "These claims are completely false. 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."
White House spokesperson Angelo Fernandez Hernandez also called the claim that money had been spent on services for illegal immigrants instead "false." He said, "The Disaster Relief Fund is specifically appropriated by Congress to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate impacts of natural disasters. It is completely separate from other grant programs administered by FEMA or DHS."
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