A South Carolina consultant is trying to redirect funds to hurricane aid efforts from a FEMA program that helps migrant arrivals — one for which a handful of Massachusetts congressmen had requested $3 billion.
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace has known as for the termination of FEMA’s Shelter and Companies Program, requesting all unspent funds be redirected to assist People get better from pure disasters.
5 of Massachusetts’ 9 representatives urged the Home Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Safety final March to direct $3 billion in funding to the shelter program.
Mace known as out the 20 Home members who signed the letter in an X publish on Friday.
“Keep in mind when 20 far-Left, America-last members of Congress thought it was good to demand $3 billion in further FEMA funds,” Mace wrote, “not for catastrophe aid, however to accommodate and feed unlawful aliens?”
“Marvel in the event that they’ll push for a dime to assist People impacted by Hurricane Helene,” she added.
Reps. Lori Trahan, D-Massachusetts, and Diana DeGette, of Colorado, led the unsuccessful push. Reps. Jim McGovern, Invoice Keating, Ayanna Pressley and Seth Moulton signed on from the Bay State.
In response to a Herald request for remark, Trahan posted on X Saturday afternoon, slamming Mace.
“Two weeks in the past, the Home voted to fund $20 billion for FEMA, which is now getting used to assist communities devastated by Hurricane Helene. Nancy Mace voted no,” Trahan wrote. “The actual query is that if she’ll vote for a dime to assist People recovering from the storm. She hasn’t to date.”
Congress in late September replenished FEMA’s Catastrophe Aid fund with $20 billion — the identical quantity the company acquired final 12 months to pay for restoration from hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and different disasters.
About $8 billion has been put aside for restoration from earlier storms and mitigation tasks. The $20 billion is a part of a short-term authorities spending invoice to fund the federal government by Dec. 20, which additionally provides FEMA flexibility to attract on the cash extra rapidly as wanted.
The Herald didn’t instantly obtain feedback from McGovern, Keating, Pressley and Moulton. McGovern and Pressley’s X feeds had been energetic Friday evening and Saturday, however no posts talked about hurricane aid efforts.
This all comes as Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee proceed to grapple with the fallout of Helene, a Class 4 hurricane that has killed greater than 200 folks — the deadliest mainland hurricane since Katrina in 2005.
Homeland Safety Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated final week that whereas the Federal Emergency Administration Company can meet speedy wants, it doesn’t have sufficient funding to make it by the hurricane season, till the tip of November.
Mayorkas’ remarks underscored issues voiced by President Biden and a few lawmakers earlier within the week that Congress might must cross a supplemental spending invoice to assist states with restoration efforts.
“It’s unacceptable for People to grapple with the catastrophic aftermath of Hurricane Helene whereas the federal authorities stays fixated on spending tons of of thousands and thousands on a program sheltering unlawful immigrants as an alternative of serving to our personal residents,” Mace stated Friday.
When requested if Trahan would favor allocating extra funding for hurricane aid, a member of her workplace advised the Herald: “Completely. She has all the time supported bipartisan catastrophe aid efforts since being elected to Congress.”
Per federal officers, FEMA’s Shelter and Companies Program companions with the U.S. Customs and Border Safety, with the intent to “assist CBP within the protected, orderly and humane launch of noncitizen migrants from short-term holding amenities.”
This system obtained $650 million in funding in fiscal 12 months 2024 from the CBP.
Trahan and the opposite representatives’ request for $3 billion got here amid the persevering with migrant inflow and disaster. They highlighted backlogs in immigration-related providers and the way native communities had been stepping up “to offer humanitarian assist.”
“In Woburn, Massachusetts, area people leaders and college academics labored to dress and feed migrants,” a part of the letter highlighted. “Nevertheless, with out extra federal sources, these communities and so many others can solely achieve this a lot.”
The Biden-Harris administration in late August awarded Massachusetts greater than $20 million from this system to assist household shelter prices.
“Massachusetts urgently wants federal assist as we work to fulfill unprecedented demand on our household shelter system because of a surge in immigrant households arriving in our state,” Gov. Maura Healey stated in a launch.
Former President Donald Trump has additionally accused FEMA of spending all its cash to assist immigrants within the nation illegally.
FEMA has known as the accusations “utterly false.”
“The Shelter and Companies Program (SSP) is a totally separate, appropriated grant program that was licensed and funded by Congress and isn’t related in any method with FEMA’s disaster-related authorities or funding streams,” a DHS spokesperson stated.
Catastrophe survivors have obtained $750 for speedy help – garments, meals, and many others. – from FEMA. The company can present different issues like cash for a storage unit, medical payments, or rental help relying on the scenario.
For owners, the primary line of protection is all the time insurance coverage. Those that don’t have insurance coverage or not sufficient can flip to FEMA, however the most quantity somebody can get to rebuild is $42,500.
“This is likely one of the form of main issues FEMA has by way of how the general public understands their function and accountability,” stated Samantha L. Montano, an assistant professor of emergency administration on the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. “FEMA doesn’t make anyone complete after a catastrophe occurs. They aren’t going to provide you sufficient cash to utterly get better your life.”
The Related Press contributed to this report.
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