The White House has vehemently denied Republican accusations of mismanagement regarding Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds following Hurricane Helene. Andrew Bates, the senior deputy press secretary, issued a memo on Friday, calling Republican allegations “bald-faced lies” regarding the post-Hurricane Helene cleanup efforts. The memo stated that “no disaster relief funding at all was used to support migrants housing and services. None. At. All.”
Republicans, including former President Donald Trump, have claimed that disaster relief funding was redirected to support migrants, criticizing the Biden administration’s handling of the hurricane response. Bates clarified that funding for migrant support is appropriated by Congress to Customs & Border Protection, with FEMA merely administering those funds.
Furthermore, Bates emphasized that FEMA has already disbursed over $45 million in direct financial assistance to individuals and families affected by the hurricane. He expressed concern about the potential harm of spreading false information, particularly when communities are in dire need of support.
On the same day, FEMA issued a fact-checking page, reiterating that “no money has been diverted” and emphasizing that it has sufficient funds for immediate response and recovery efforts.
Hurricane Helene, which struck on September 26th, inflicted significant damage, leaving nearly 800,000 people without power. The storm tragically claimed over 130 lives and caused widespread power outages, affecting over two million Duke Energy Corp customers. The hurricane’s impact led to a surge in demand for backup and portable power generators.
President Joe Biden has urged Congress to reconvene from recess to approve additional funding for recovery efforts, although lawmakers are not scheduled to return until November 12th. His administration has already dispatched over 4,800 federal personnel to assist with the response, and the president authorized the deployment of up to 1,000 troops to aid North Carolina’s recovery efforts.
Biden visited North Carolina on Wednesday, followed by trips to Florida and Georgia on Thursday to assess the damage firsthand and meet with local leaders. Previously, Republican presidential nominee Trump reportedly claimed credit for deploying Elon Musk-led Starlink satellites to facilitate communication restoration in areas affected by Hurricane Helene. However, FEMA contradicted Trump’s statement, asserting that the decision was already in place before his purported involvement.
