Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas sparked outrage on Wednesday when he revealed that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) “does not have the funds” to support Americans through the remainder of this Atlantic hurricane season. This announcement followed FEMA’s expenditure of over $1.4 billion since late 2022 to address the ongoing migrant crisis.
“We are meeting the immediate needs with the resources we have,” Mayorkas said during a press briefing aboard Air Force One while en route to assess the damage caused by Hurricane Helene in North and South Carolina. “But with another hurricane approaching, we simply do not have the funds to make it through the rest of the season.”
Critics quickly highlighted the Department of Homeland Security’s (DHS) allocation of $640.9 million in FEMA-administered funds this year to help state and local governments manage the influx of asylum seekers. In response to the backlash, Mayorkas’ office clarified that those funds were designated by Congress specifically for the migrant crisis and could not be redirected for hurricane relief efforts.
Texas Governor Greg Abbott was among those voicing strong criticism. “This is easy. Mayorkas and FEMA—stop spending money on illegal immigration resettlement and redirect those funds to areas hit by the hurricane. Put Americans first,” Abbott tweeted. Elon Musk, CEO of X and SpaceX, echoed Abbott’s sentiment, agreeing with the call to prioritize American disaster victims.
Abbott, a vocal critic of the Biden administration’s immigration policies, has long opposed Mayorkas’ handling of asylum seekers. He also criticized the mass parole of migrants into the U.S. under President Biden, especially following the administration’s reversal of the Trump-era “Remain in Mexico” policy. Abbott has been busing migrants to Democratic-led cities like New York, forcing those areas to make budget cuts to accommodate them.
FEMA has committed over $1.4 billion in the last two years through programs like the FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter Program and the Shelter and Services Program, which was authorized by Congress in late 2022 to handle the migrant crisis. This year alone, $640.9 million has been allocated through the latter program.
DHS defended its actions, issuing a statement on Thursday that said: “These claims are completely false. As Secretary Mayorkas stated, 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 separate, appropriated grant program funded by Congress and is not linked to FEMA’s disaster-relief resources.”
Despite DHS’s defense, the federal government has so far only distributed $4 million in aid to individuals and families affected by Hurricane Helene, according to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre. That aid comes from a $10 million FEMA allocation that provides $750 grants for groceries to hurricane victims.
President Biden, during an operational briefing on Hurricane Helene in North Carolina, acknowledged the enormous financial toll the storm has taken, saying, “It’s going to cost billions of dollars to recover from this storm. Congress has a responsibility to ensure the states get the resources they need.”
The funding shortfall from FEMA has drawn sharp criticism from Republicans, with many accusing the administration of prioritizing migrants over American citizens. “The Biden-Harris administration took more than a billion tax dollars allocated to FEMA for disaster relief and used it to house illegal aliens,” said Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio). “Now, they’ve abandoned American hurricane victims.”
Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.) echoed similar sentiments, stating, “FEMA spending over a billion dollars on illegals while they leave Americans without help is treasonous. U.S. citizens are dying. Pray for our country.”
The debate has intensified as the Biden administration’s use of FEMA funds remains under scrutiny amid growing concerns over the nation’s ability to respond to future natural disasters.