Examining the Validity: Trump Once Again Spreads Baseless Claims Regarding FEMA's Hurricane Handling During North Carolina Visit
Talking to the press in a hit area close to Asheville, Trump kept bringing up a claim that was proven false when he initially mentioned it in October – his belief that the Federal Emergency Management Agency took money meant for disaster relief and instead spent it on immigrants who entered the country unlawfully, leaving the agency with no funds to help American citizens.
“It’s all spent. They used it on illegal immigrants,” Trump stated. He also stated: “Why did they utilize hundreds of millions in funds for something they weren’t supposed to spend it on?” And he stated, “They weren’t supposed to spend the money on accepting illegal immigrants. Maybe so they could vote in the election, because that – a lot of individuals are saying that’s why they’re doing it. I don’t know, I hope that’s not why they’re doing it.”
The Republican presidential candidate stated in the same remarks that now “they don’t have any money for the individuals who reside here.” And in a rally later in the day in Greenville, he stated, “You didn’t receive the appropriate support from this administration. They spent the money on illegal immigrants, they spent it. They didn’t have any cash left for North Carolina.”
These claims are false in at least four ways.
First, there’s no foundation for Trump’s theory that FEMA or the current administration might be engaging in some sort of plot to encourage undocumented immigrants to illegally vote in the 2024 election.
Voting by non-citizens in federal elections is a crime, and Trump hasn’t provided any evidence to support his continuous claims and insinuations about the current administration or FEMA allegedly trying to get undocumented individuals to vote in 2024.
Second, it’s not accurate that FEMA disaster aid money was redirected to immigrants.
This is what actually took place.
Congress allocated $650 million in the 2024 budget to fund a program that assists state and local governments in housing immigrants. It directed US Customs and Border Protection to transfer this $650 million to FEMA to administer the program.
It’s crucial to note that this $650 million fund is entirely separate from FEMA’s much larger pot of disaster relief funds. As the Department of Homeland Security, the White House, and some Republican congressional representatives explained earlier this month, they’re just two distinct things, each funded independently by Congress – and Congress allocated over $35 billion in disaster relief funds for fiscal 2024, according to official FEMA statistics.
One of the congressional Republicans who has debunked this Trump claim is Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina, who stood with Trump as the former president repeated the claim on Monday. Earlier this month, Edwards published a fact sheet that stated, among other things, “FEMA has NOT diverted disaster response funding to the border or foreign aid.”
Third, it’s not accurate that FEMA’s funds are “all spent.”.
FEMA is not bankrupt. As of last Tuesday, its Disaster Relief Fund had approximately $8.5 billion remaining, FEMA informed CNN’s Ella Nilsen. FEMA officials have made it clear that they have enough money to meet the immediate needs of those affected by Hurricane Helene – although the large number of disasters this year, including tornadoes, wildfires, flooding, and hurricanes, means the agency may need to petition Congress for additional disaster relief funding sooner than anticipated.
Edwards wrote in his fact sheet: “FEMA is NOT running out of money. FEMA officials have repeatedly confirmed that the agency has enough money for immediate response and recovery needs over the next few months.”
It is true that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas stated early in the month that another hurricane was anticipated after Helene, “we do not have the funds, FEMA does not have the funds, to make it through the season.” But he mentioned in the same remarks that they were able to “meet immediate needs,” although “that doesn’t speak to the future”; he surely didn’t say, as Trump did, that FEMA’s funds were “all spent.”
Fourth, it’s not accurate that the current administration “didn’t have any money left for North Carolina.”
The current administration has offered various forms of aid to North Carolina following Hurricane Helene. The White House declares that more than $300 million has been approved so far.
As of last Tuesday, FEMA specifically had authorized over $102 million in Hurricane Helene-related aid to individuals in North Carolina, the agency reports, in addition to tens of millions in aid to local governments in the state.
Trump continued to assert that "FEMA hasn't had any money left for Americans due to spending on illegal immigrants," and in a rally, he stated, "You didn't get the support you needed from this administration because they spent the money on illegal immigrants."
Despite Trump's claims, Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina, who stood with Trump during the remarks, published a fact sheet stating, "FEMA has NOT diverted disaster response funding to the border or foreign aid."
