Rumors Declare FEMA Is Low on Hurricane Aid Cash As a result of Migrant Assist. Listed here are the Information

As North Carolina and Florida recovered from Hurricane Helene’s and Hurricane Milton’s destruction in October 2024, a rumor circulated that Homeland Safety Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated the Federal Emergency Administration Company (FEMA) was working out of funds to cowl catastrophe reduction earlier than the top of hurricane season. 

Some web customers claimed the explanation for the alleged shortfall was as a result of FEMA spent an excessive amount of cash on companies to assist undocumented immigrants (archived). Extra particularly, some individuals claimed FEMA was solely keen to spend $750 in reduction funds for every sufferer of Hurricane Helene as a result of it had already spent greater than $1 billion on shelter and companies for undocumented immigrants (archived):

Mayorkas complains “FEMA doesn’t have the funds to make it by way of the season.“ [Vice President] Kamala [Harris] pronounces victims of Hurricane Helene will get solely $750. In the meantime, FEMA spent over $1 BILLION in taxpayer {dollars} on offering housing and companies to unlawful aliens.

This X put up had obtained about 324,000 views and 4,300 likes as of this writing. “How is that this not an impeachable offense?” one X user asked in response. 

Different posts claimed that the $750 was in reality only a mortgage, which recipients had one 12 months to repay lest FEMA seize their property (archived):

Various posts on X shared the identical rumor. 

On Oct. 7, 2024, former U.S. President Donald Trump shared these rumors on his Fact Social account. He added that “billions of {dollars} had been going to international nations” whereas the federal government deserted North Carolina (archived):

(Fact Social/@realDonaldTrump)

FEMA Funding in 2024

Whereas it is true Mayorkas warned that FEMA was working out of funds for catastrophe reduction, the realities of how the company is funded and the way it deploys its funding are rather more sophisticated than on-line rumormongers declare. FEMA, like different U.S. authorities businesses, obtains its funding by way of an appropriations course of within the U.S. Congress, which implies it can’t merely reallocate funds approved for one program to a different. 

On Oct. 2, Mayorkas instructed reporters FEMA’s purse was near empty and expressed concern for the company’s potential to assist victims of any extra pure disasters, particularly as hurricane season hadn’t ended. “We’re assembly the rapid wants with the cash that we’ve. We expect one other hurricane hitting,” he said. “FEMA doesn’t have the funds to make it by way of the season.”

For the complete 12 months 2024, the U.S. Congress appropriated $20.26 billion for the Catastrophe Aid Fund, in keeping with HR 2882, additionally know because the Further Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2024. The DRF is the fund from which FEMA attracts catastrophe help in case of harmful occasions equivalent to Hurricane Helene (emphasis ours): 

Catastrophe Aid Fund

For needed bills in finishing up the Robert T. Stafford Catastrophe Aid and Emergency Help Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.),  $20,261,000,000, to stay out there till expended: Supplied, That such quantity shall be for main disasters declared pursuant to the Robert T. Stafford Catastrophe Aid and Emergency Help Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.) and is designated by the Congress as being for catastrophe reduction pursuant to part 251(b)(2)(D) of the Balanced Finances and Emergency Deficit Management Act of 1985.

Nonetheless, the nation confronted 20 so-called “billion-dollar disasters” as of early October 2024, together with Hurricane Helene. Compared, the typical from 2014 to 2023 was about 17 such events per year (up from 12 a year between 2010 and 2019). Due to this enhance in main disasters, the funding supplied for FEMA’s DRF was inadequate, and this system required further funding. That is what Mayorkas was referring to in his assertion.

As a result of this state of affairs, FEMA carried out so-called Immediate Needs Funding steering, whereby the company covers, specifically, “lifesaving and life-sustaining actions,” however holds off on some other new obligations. Nonetheless, this was not sufficient, and the each the Division of Homeland Safety and U.S. President Joe Biden said they would request supplemental funds to cowl the remainder of the hurricane season.

On Sept. 25, 2024, nonetheless, Congress handed a stopgap bill to increase funding for the remainder of the 12 months. The invoice apportioned $20 billion to DHS, and added that the company may use the cash for catastrophe reduction:

Sec. 134. Quantities made out there by part 101 to the Division of Homeland Safety beneath the heading “Federal Emergency Administration Company—Catastrophe Aid Fund” could also be apportioned as much as the speed for operations needed to hold out response and restoration actions beneath the Robert T. Stafford Catastrophe Aid and Emergency Help Act (42 U.S.C. 5121 et seq.).

No matter legislative developments, FEMA clarified that it did have adequate funding to cowl the price of Hurricane Helene. It elaborated on the subject on a page the agency set up to dispel unfounded rumors:

FEMA has sufficient cash proper now for rapid response and restoration wants. When you had been affected by Helene, don’t hesitate to use for catastrophe help as there’s a wide range of assist out there for various wants.

$750 ‘Severe Wants Help’ Is for Pressing, Speedy Wants

Additional, the declare that Hurricane Helene victims would obtain “solely $750” is fake. In an Oct. 3 speech, U.S. Vice President Kamala Harris stated the next: “And the federal reduction and help that we’ve been offering has included FEMA offering $750 for people who want rapid wants being met, equivalent to meals, child formulation and the like. And you may apply now,”

Harris was referring to a selected sort of help (Serious Needs Assistance) FEMA presents to assist victims pay for pressing provides equivalent to groceries and medicines within the rapid aftermath of a catastrophe. Nonetheless, that $750 was certainly not the one help the company may present victims of Hurricane Helene. The company’s rumor-busting web page learn:

One sort of help that’s typically accepted rapidly after you apply is Severe Wants Help, which is $750 to assist pay for important objects like meals, water, child formulation, breastfeeding provides, remedy and different emergency provides. There are different types of help that you could be qualify to obtain when you apply for catastrophe help. As your software continues to be reviewed, you should still obtain further types of help for different wants equivalent to assist for short-term housing and residential restore prices.

The declare that FEMA help is barely a mortgage can be false. On a unique myth-debunking page on its web site, FEMA clarified that FEMA catastrophe help needn’t be repaid. FEMA grants are designed for rapid reduction. For longer-term restoration, FEMA might refer these affected by disasters to low-interest loans from the U.S. Small Business Administration. Although it’s a totally different company, the SBA lends the cash by way of FEMA. Neither is the cash reserved solely for small-business homeowners, because the loans also can assist house repairs, private property alternative, automobiles and different requirements for people and small companies after a catastrophe.

Individually, Congress has appropriated a complete of $640.9 million for shelter and other services to noncitizen migrant arrivals in 2024, down from $780 million in 2023. FEMA distributes this assist to nonfederal organizations in localities that welcome migrants throughout the nation. It does this by way of its Shelter and Food program for people at risk of homelessness, outdoors of catastrophe conditions. Over two years, assist for migrants totaled $1.42 billion, about 7% of the overall appropriated for the DRF in 2024 alone. 

The Appropriations Course of

The appropriations course of within the U.S. Congress is a legislative one. Funding resolutions should first undergo subcommittees. FEMA is the purview of the Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management subcommittee, a part of the Home Committee on Transportation and Infrastructure. In October 2024, the subcommittee’s chair was Republican Rep. Scott Perry of Pennsylvania. 

In response to the Congressional Research Service, the appropriations course of begins with the White Home, which annually submits an annual price range to Congress, whereas every company and division share “detailed price range justifications” to every committee. Subcommittees then maintain hearings, draft payments, ship them to the complete committee. At any level of the method, members can suggest amendments. Then the Home votes on the payments and despatched them to the Senate. Like some other invoice, the Senate can determine to “filibuster” the payments — that’s, to begin debates on them until and till 60 senators vote to go them. 

As soon as Congress appropriates the funds, businesses and departments might not spend lower than what they obtain, nor can they spend greater than they obtain, other than few exceptions. In addition they can’t spend the funds for some other goal than the one for which they obtained them. In different phrases, provided that Congress appropriated $1.42 billion for companies and shelter to noncitizen migrants, FEMA didn’t have the authorization to reallocate that quantity to catastrophe reduction, or vice versa. 

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