Speaker of the Home Mike Johnson addressed claims that the Biden administration diverted Federal Emergency Administration Company (FEMA) funds to immigration efforts, saying the swimming pools of funds are “different,” however that he understands why People are “frustrated.”
“The streams of funding are different, that is not an untrue statement, of course,” Johnson, R-La., advised Fox Information’ Shannon Bream on “Fox News Sunday.” “But the problem is with the American people, see, and what they’re frustrated by, is that FEMA should be involved. The Federal Emergency Management Agency, their mission is to help people in times like this of natural disaster. Not to be engaged in using any pool of funding from any account for resettling illegal aliens who have come across the border. That’s what the Biden administration, Kamala Harris and Secretary Mayorkas have been engaged in.”
White Home press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre final week denied that FEMA assets had been going to migrants, however cited FEMA funds for migrants in 2022.
“Former President Trump is accusing the Biden administration of using FEMA funding to support undocumented migrants. How is the White House responding to that?” a reporter requested throughout a Friday press convention.
FEMA HAS FUNDS NEEDED FOR ‘IMMEDIATE RESPONSE AND RECOVERY,’ DESPITE MAYORKAS’ WARNING
Speaker Mike Johnson is holding agency to his plan on authorities funding (Getty Photos)
“I mean, it’s just categorically false. It is not true. It is a false statement,” Jean-Pierre responded.
Critics have since in contrast her assertion to feedback made in 2022, the place she cited FEMA assets had been accessible to unlawful immigrants.
“FEMA Regional Administrators have been meeting with city officials on site to coordinate – to coordinate available federal support from FEMA and other federal agencies,” Jean-Pierre advised reporters at a Sept. 16, 2022, press convention.
“Funding is also available through FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter program to eligible local governments and not-for-profit organizations upon request to support humanitarian relief for migrants,” she added.
FEMA has a pool of funds explicitly used for pure disasters, whereas Congress referred to as on FEMA in 2022 to disseminate funds from Customs and Border Safety to help American communities affected by the immigration disaster.
KJP SLAMMED AFTER HURRICANE HELENE OVER MIXED MESSAGES ON WHETHER FEMA RESOURCES USED FOR MIGRANTS
Border Patrol picks up a bunch of asylum seekers on the U.S.-Mexico border close to Sasabe, Arizona, on March 13, 2024. (Justin Hamel/Bloomberg through Getty Photos)
FEMA’s web site at the moment has a “Hurricane Helene: Rumor Response” web page to handle false claims surrounding restoration efforts, together with a rebuke of the declare that FEMA diverted catastrophe response funds to “border related issues.”
“This is false. No money is being diverted from disaster response needs. FEMA’s disaster response efforts and individual assistance is funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts. Disaster Relief Fund money has not been diverted to other, non-disaster related efforts,” FEMA posted in response to the declare.
Hurricane Helene has left extra than 220 folks lifeless after flooding devastated cities and cities throughout Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee.
Particles is strewn on the lake within the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Wednesday, Oct. 2, 2024, in Lake Lure, North Carolina. (AP Photograph/Mike Stewart)
Secretary of Homeland Safety Alejandro Mayorkas drew nationwide consideration final week when he indicated that FEMA doesn’t have sufficient funding to make it by way of hurricane season, which generally wraps up in November.
LAWMAKERS OUTRAGED OVER FEMA FUNDING CONCERNS
“We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting,” he mentioned Wednesday, heightening issues round funds for People left displaced by the hurricane. “FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season.”
The DHS, nevertheless, mentioned the next day that FEMA has the funds wanted to help these at the moment affected.
“FEMA has what it needs for immediate response and recovery efforts,” spokesperson Jaclyn Rothenberg mentioned on X. “As [Administrator Deanne Criswell] said, she has the full authority to spend against the President’s budget, but we’re not out of hurricane season yet so we need to keep a close eye on it.”
FEDERAL GOVERNMENT ‘FAILED TO ACT’ IN HURRICANE HELENE AFTERMATH: REP. CORY MILLS
An aerial view of the harm following Hurricane Helene in Erwin, Tennessee. (AP Photograph/George Walker IV)
Johnson mentioned throughout his interview Sunday that when residents take public transportation and spot unlawful immigrants touring the nation, their tickets are “gleefully” paid for by the Biden-Harris administration through non-governmental organizations.
“When you see illegals in your local airport and you see them being transported around the country with planes, trains and automobiles to every community, everywhere, every state’s a border state now, because of that. That’s the NGOs, the non-governmental organizations mostly, that are transporting those people around. And then they send the receipts to the federal government,” he continued.
Home Speaker Mike Johnson holds a information briefing in Washington, D.C., on June 26, 2024. (Alex Wong/Getty Photos)
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“And Biden, Harris and Mayorkas gleefully pay those receipts because they open the border intentionally. The American people are disgusted by this. They’re fed up with it, and so are Republicans in Congress. And it’ll stop after Nov. 5 because we’re going to have a unified government with Republicans in charge, and we will bring sanity back to this situation,” he added.
Fox Information Digital’s Anders Hagstrom contributed to this report.
