No, Biden, Harris didn't spend hurricane relief FEMA funds on immigrants | Fact check
The claim: Biden administration spent FEMA hurricane relief money on ‘illegals’
An Oct. 2 Facebook post (direct link, archive link) claims President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris redirected funds meant for disaster relief.
“Kamala and Biden spent the (Federal Emergency Management Agency) emergency money on housing and caring for illegals. They now are not prepared for the current hurricane damage,” the post's text states.
Similar versions of the claim were amplified by former President Donald Trump, billionaire Elon Musk and Ohio Rep. Jim Jordan.
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Our rating: False
FEMA and a White House spokesperson both said the claim is false. It conflates the agency's disaster relief fund with a separate program that helps homeless people. The money provided by Congress for the disaster relief fund must be used for that purpose, and any other use is against the law.
Claim conflates disaster relief fund, homelessness program
Hurricane Helene devastated the southeastern U.S. in late September, causing widespread flooding, billions of dollars in estimated damage and more than 200 deaths. Hurricane Milton bore down on Florida less than two weeks later, packing sustained winds of 180 mph on Oct. 7 as it approached the state’s Gulf Coast. It came as Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned that FEMA does not have enough funding to last through hurricane season, which ends Nov. 30.
Fact check: This storm footage isn't from Hurricane Helene in Florida
But contrary to the claim in the post, the Biden administration has not used hurricane-relief funds on immigrants, according to both FEMA and a White House spokesperson. There is no credible evidence that such spending – which would be illegal – has taken place.
The post’s use of the phrase “FEMA emergency money” and its mention of “current hurricane damage” asserts a connection between the disaster spending and funding used for immigrants. But this conflates multiple FEMA programs, which have funds appropriated from different sources for use in specific ways.
When asked for evidence to support the claim, the Facebook user shared a September 2022 clip of White House spokesperson Karine Jean-Pierre referencing FEMA’s emergency food and shelter program as a means of assistance after dozens of migrants were flown to Martha’s Vineyard with false promises of jobs and housing. But that program has nothing to do with the disaster relief fund. Its stated purpose is to provide the homeless with food and shelter.
In a statement posted to its website, FEMA stated that “no money is being diverted from disaster response needs." And White House spokesperson Angelo Fernandez Hernandez posted to X, formerly Twitter, that the Disaster Relief Fund is “completely separate from other grant programs administered by FEMA.”
The disaster relief fund, which received $20 billion as part of the bill Congress passed to fund the government through Dec. 20, is administered under the Stafford Act. However, the much smaller emergency food and shelter program is funded by the Consolidated Appropriations Act, with FEMA in April announcing $117 million in funding.
USA TODAY previously debunked false claims that people affected by Helene receive “only $750” in aid and that Biden said those people would receive no more aid.
The Washington Post also debunked a version of the claim.
Our fact-check sources:
FEMA, Oct. 3, Hurricane Rumor Response
FEMA, June 26, 2023, Emergency Food and Shelter Program
FEMA, April 23, FEMA Bulletin
Angelo Fernandez Hernandez, Oct. 3, X post
National Constitution Center, accessed Oct. 8, Appropriations Clause
Emergency Food and Shelter Program, accessed Oct. 8, EFSP
GovInfo, March 18, Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act
GovInfo, March 9, Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024
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This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricane FEMA funds diverted to immigrants? Not true | Fact check