The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) under the Biden-Harris administration, led by Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, has conceded that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) will be unable to sustain funding throughout this year's hurricane season.
This revelation follows the DHS's decision to redirect over $640 million towards "non-citizen migrants," a euphemism for illegal immigrants, to provide shelter in 2023. This funding diversion occurred in April 2024, before the Southeast was devastated by Hurricane Helene.
Mayorkas confessed the precarious financial situation to journalists on Wednesday, as reported by the Associated Press. We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting, Mayorkas stated. FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season." The hurricane season traditionally spans from June 1 to November 30, with the majority of storms occurring in September and October.
FEMA's resources are currently strained as it grapples with the aftermath of Hurricane Helene in the southern states. The storm, which made landfall in Florida last week, wreaked havoc across several Southeastern states before dissipating. The hurricane's destructive path left several towns flooded and destroyed, claiming the lives of at least 160 people. With hundreds still missing, this death toll is expected to rise.
The DHS's decision to divert approximately $641 million to provide shelter services for migrants, many of whom are in the US illegally, has sparked significant backlash. Critics argue that this diversion of funds has left FEMA ill-equipped to respond to the storm and provide necessary relief. The funds were distributed among various shelters for non-citizen migrants in cities such as Denver, Colorado; Washington DC; Chicago, Illinois; Suffolk County, Massachusetts; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania; Salt Lake City, Utah; San Diego, California, and several others.
Park MacDougald, a writer for Tablet Magazine, highlighted the controversial diversion of funds in a post. "Are you f*cking KIDDING me?? FEMA spent SIX HUNDRED AND FORTY MILLION DOLLARS on illegal immigrants this year and now it has no money for disaster relief," he wrote.
The Center Square reported on the shelter program for non-citizens in July, noting that the program's expansion coincided with the worsening border crisis under the Biden-Harris administration. The publication reported, "The funding for the program has increased from $363.8 million in fiscal year 2023 to $650 million in fiscal year 2024. Now, city officials and politicians are asking it be funded by as much as $3 billion."
In response to FEMA's funding shortfall, GOP Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee, one of the states hardest hit by the storm, expressed his outrage. "FEMA spending over a billion dollars on illegals while they leave Americans stranded and without help is treasonous. US citizens are dying. Pray for our country folks," he posted.
Journalist Mike Cernovich also weighed in on the situation, stating, "We do not have a government. This FEMA non-response is proof of that. No money for Americans because a billion dollars was given to communist NGOs. We live under a hostile, occupying regime. Same as when Stalin took over Poland. These comments underscore the growing dissatisfaction with the government's handling of the crisis, particularly in light of the funding diverted to non-citizen migrants.
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