Joedy McCreary, USA TODAY NETWORK
Thu, October 10, 2024
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.
More from the Fact-Check Team: How we pick and research claims | Email newsletter | Facebook page
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
The White House, Sept. 16, 2022, Press Briefing by Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre and National Security Council Coordinator for Strategic Communications John Kirby, September 16, 2022
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
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: Hurricane FEMA funds diverted to immigrants? Not true | Fact check
Trump's claim that Biden stole $1 billion from FEMA for migrants is Pants on Fire
Maria Ramirez Uribe and Amy Sherman
Wed, October 9, 2024
Austin American-Statesman
Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as he attends an event about the damage caused by Hurricane Helene, in Valdosta, Georgia, U.S., September 30, 2024.
Donald Trump
Statement: The Biden administration stole $1 billion “from FEMA to use it for illegal migrants. … And FEMA is now busted. They don’t have any money.”
As he arrived in Augusta, Georgia, to survey Hurricane Helene’s devastation, former President Donald Trump said the Biden-Harris administration’s spending on immigrants has left the Federal Emergency Management Agency broke.
"Well, for one thing, $1 billion was stolen from FEMA to use it for illegal migrants," Trump said Oct. 4. He added, "And FEMA is now busted. They don’t have any money."
He continued, "FEMA has not done the job, meaning the federal government, Kamala and Joe, have not done the job obviously. They have $1 billion, $1 billion with a 'B,' missing that's supposed to be used for hurricanes and things like that and they don't have any money."
Trump used his visit to the hurricane-ravaged battleground state as an opportunity to attack his opponent, Kamala Harris, and argue that she cares more about immigrants in the U.S. illegally than Americans.
He has repeated versions of that claim since Oct. 3.
"Kamala spent all her FEMA money, billions of dollars, on housing for illegal migrants, many of whom should not be in our country," he said at an Oct. 3 campaign rally in Saginaw, Michigan.
"We’re missing $1 billion that they gave to migrants coming into our country," he said in an Oct. 4 town hall in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
"The GREAT people of North Carolina are being stood up by Harris and Biden, who are giving almost all of the FEMA money to Illegal Migrants," he wrote Oct. 7 on Truth Social. He added: "NORTH CAROLINA HAS BEEN VIRTUALLY ABANDONED BY KAMALA!!!"
Here are the facts: Current FEMA funding for migrants does not come at disaster relief’s expense. Neither of FEMA’s two programs for migrants uses money from the agency’s Disaster Relief Fund, which is primarily used after natural disasters. Congress funds the migrant and disaster relief programs separately. And Trump’s administration, not Biden’s, shifted FEMA funding — including money from the Disaster Relief Fund — to address immigration.
When contacted for comment, the Trump campaign pointed to spending by FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program, which gives money to state and local governments and nonprofit organizations that provide migrants with temporary shelter, food and transportation. Trump arrived at the $1 billion figure by combining the fiscal year 2023 and 2024 budgets for the Shelter and Services Program.
"FEMA has been spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the transportation and shelter of illegal immigrants," Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said.
That’s different from Trump’s claims, which distort the facts.
FEMA’s rumor response website says no money from the Disaster Relief Fund was diverted for immigration. The White House issued a similar statement.
No money ‘stolen’ at FEMA, agency not out of money
It’s inaccurate to describe the $1 billion as "stolen," said Joshua Sewell, a federal budget expert at the nonpartisan Taxpayers for Common Sense.
Congress — not the president — decides how much money government programs receive. The Biden-Harris administration requested the money from Congress, and Congress granted it to FEMA for the Shelter and Services program.
"It’s definitely not stealing," Sewell said. "It is in an appropriations bill."
FEMA is expected to face a deficit during the current fiscal year that started Oct. 1, but the agency is not out of money. And Congress can set aside more money, as it has done nearly every year since 2017, Sewell said.
Maria Ramirez Uribe and Amy Sherman
Wed, October 9, 2024
Austin American-Statesman
Republican presidential nominee and former U.S. President Donald Trump looks on as he attends an event about the damage caused by Hurricane Helene, in Valdosta, Georgia, U.S., September 30, 2024.
Donald Trump
Statement: The Biden administration stole $1 billion “from FEMA to use it for illegal migrants. … And FEMA is now busted. They don’t have any money.”
As he arrived in Augusta, Georgia, to survey Hurricane Helene’s devastation, former President Donald Trump said the Biden-Harris administration’s spending on immigrants has left the Federal Emergency Management Agency broke.
"Well, for one thing, $1 billion was stolen from FEMA to use it for illegal migrants," Trump said Oct. 4. He added, "And FEMA is now busted. They don’t have any money."
He continued, "FEMA has not done the job, meaning the federal government, Kamala and Joe, have not done the job obviously. They have $1 billion, $1 billion with a 'B,' missing that's supposed to be used for hurricanes and things like that and they don't have any money."
Trump used his visit to the hurricane-ravaged battleground state as an opportunity to attack his opponent, Kamala Harris, and argue that she cares more about immigrants in the U.S. illegally than Americans.
He has repeated versions of that claim since Oct. 3.
"Kamala spent all her FEMA money, billions of dollars, on housing for illegal migrants, many of whom should not be in our country," he said at an Oct. 3 campaign rally in Saginaw, Michigan.
"We’re missing $1 billion that they gave to migrants coming into our country," he said in an Oct. 4 town hall in Fayetteville, North Carolina.
"The GREAT people of North Carolina are being stood up by Harris and Biden, who are giving almost all of the FEMA money to Illegal Migrants," he wrote Oct. 7 on Truth Social. He added: "NORTH CAROLINA HAS BEEN VIRTUALLY ABANDONED BY KAMALA!!!"
Here are the facts: Current FEMA funding for migrants does not come at disaster relief’s expense. Neither of FEMA’s two programs for migrants uses money from the agency’s Disaster Relief Fund, which is primarily used after natural disasters. Congress funds the migrant and disaster relief programs separately. And Trump’s administration, not Biden’s, shifted FEMA funding — including money from the Disaster Relief Fund — to address immigration.
When contacted for comment, the Trump campaign pointed to spending by FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program, which gives money to state and local governments and nonprofit organizations that provide migrants with temporary shelter, food and transportation. Trump arrived at the $1 billion figure by combining the fiscal year 2023 and 2024 budgets for the Shelter and Services Program.
"FEMA has been spending hundreds of millions of dollars on the transportation and shelter of illegal immigrants," Trump campaign spokesperson Karoline Leavitt said.
That’s different from Trump’s claims, which distort the facts.
FEMA’s rumor response website says no money from the Disaster Relief Fund was diverted for immigration. The White House issued a similar statement.
No money ‘stolen’ at FEMA, agency not out of money
It’s inaccurate to describe the $1 billion as "stolen," said Joshua Sewell, a federal budget expert at the nonpartisan Taxpayers for Common Sense.
Congress — not the president — decides how much money government programs receive. The Biden-Harris administration requested the money from Congress, and Congress granted it to FEMA for the Shelter and Services program.
"It’s definitely not stealing," Sewell said. "It is in an appropriations bill."
FEMA is expected to face a deficit during the current fiscal year that started Oct. 1, but the agency is not out of money. And Congress can set aside more money, as it has done nearly every year since 2017, Sewell said.
Two FEMA programs have supported immigrants, neither takes money from hurricane relief
Destroyed homes are seen across the Broad River in Chimney Rock, NC after Hurricane Helene, October 7, 2024.
Directing federal money to help states and cities handle immigrant influxes didn’t start with the Biden-Harris administration. With Congress deadlocked for decades over immigration bills, state and local politicians in red and blue areas have demanded that the federal government step up and provide money to help provide basic services to new immigrants.
Starting in 2019, as illegal immigration ticked up during Trump’s administration, Congress gave FEMA funding to expand its Emergency Food and Shelter Program, which previously had been used only for people facing homelessness and hunger, to include migrant support services. FEMA gave federal money to local and state governments and nonprofit organizations that provide services to immigrants whom officials have released into the U.S. to await court proceedings.
Neither that program nor the one that replaced it was, or is, funded with money promised to FEMA’s disaster relief work. And the Biden administration didn’t transfer money from FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund to either program, the White House said in an Oct. 5 memo.
Sewell reiterated this point: "The Disaster Relief Fund has nothing to do with any migrant assistance account because all that spending is from separate funds."
In 2023, Congress directed U.S. Customs and Border Protection and FEMA to create the Shelter and Services Program for migrants, removing immigration grants from the Emergency Food and Shelter Program. The Shelter and Services Program uses money Congress has given Customs and Border Protection, and is administered by FEMA.
In fiscal year 2024, which started October 2023 and ended September 2024, Congress directed U.S. Customs and Border Protection to give FEMA $650 million for the Shelter and Services Program. From fiscal years 2021 to 2024, Congress has set aside about $1.5 billion combined for both the Shelter and Services and Emergency Food and Shelter programs. The money is used for food, shelter and medical care.
Mayorkas: FEMA can meet immediate needs but will need more funding
Statements from Trump and other Republicans saying FEMA is out of money stem from Oct. 2 comments to journalists by Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas as he traveled to South Carolina to survey devastation caused by Hurricane Helene.
But Mayorkas didn’t say FEMA was out of money.
When a reporter asked Mayorkas about FEMA funding, he said, "We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting. FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the (hurricane) season," which lasts from June through November.
Mayorkas said the Biden-Harris administration has requested additional funding from Congress.
Congress has approved extra money for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund nearly every year since 2017, totaling nearly $170 billion, Sewell said. This money is on top of the $100 billion Congress has set aside in annual legislation.
On Sept. 26, Congress added $20 billion to the disaster fund as part of a stopgap bill to fund the government through Dec. 20.
Even before Hurricane Helene made landfall, the Disaster Relief Fund was headed toward a deficit. A mid-September report FEMA published before Hurricane Helene projected a deficit starting in February 2025. That was also before Hurricane Milton.
Trump administration moved FEMA funding to immigration efforts
Former President Donald Trump speaks during his visit to Evans, Ga., on Friday, Oct. 4, 2024. Trump came to get a briefing on Hurricane Helene and speak to supporters.
When Trump was president, his administration shifted FEMA funding, including money from the Disaster Relief Fund, to address immigration.
In 2019, the Department of Homeland Security announced it was "reprogramming" some funds Congress had set aside.The department said it would transfer $271 million to immigration efforts. That included about $155 million from FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund base budget.
PolitiFact found in 2019 that the funding shift would not deplete FEMA’s available funding for disaster-hit areas; the federal government has a process to provide disaster relief. But we wrote it could have some effect, depending on the storm season’s severity.
PolitiFact's ruling
Trump said "$1 billion was stolen from FEMA to use it for illegal migrants. … And FEMA is now busted. They don’t have any money."
This is a gross mischaracterization.
The Biden-Harris administration did not "steal" money from FEMA. Congress — not the president — decides how much money government programs receive.
Congress approved FEMA funding to give grants to state and local governments and nonprofit organizations for immigrant services. The program’s funding comes from Customs and Border Protection, and is separate from FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund that’s used to respond to natural disasters.
The money for immigrants does not come at storm victims’ expense. The federal government has spent hundreds of millions of dollars on hurricane recovery and will continue to do so.
Furthermore, FEMA is not out of money. The agency’s Disaster Relief Fund is expected to face a deficit, but that’s unrelated to the program for immigrants. Congress can step in and provide more funding for FEMA, as it has done nearly every year since 2017.
We rate this statement Pants on Fire!
Our sources
Former President Donald Trump, Truth Social post, Oct. 7, 2024
CNN State of the Union, Transcript, Oct. 6, 2024
Federal Emergency Management Agency, As Federal Assistance for Hurricane Helene Exceeds $210 Million, FEMA Prepares for Dual Response with Hurricane Milton Strengthening as it Moves Toward Gulf Coast of Florida, Oct. 7, 2024
Congressional Research Service, FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program-Humanitarian Relief (EFSP-H) and the New Shelter and Services Program (SSP), Aug. 30, 2023
Congressional Research Service, The Disaster Relief Fund: Overview and Issues, Jan. 22, 2024
CNN, Fact check: Six days of Trump lies about the Hurricane Helene response, Oct. 6, 2024
Washington Post The Fact Checker, No, Biden didn’t take FEMA relief money to use on migrants — but Trump did, Oct. 4, 2024
Verify, FEMA is running low on disaster money, but not because the funds went to housing undocumented migrants, Oct. 4, 2024
New York Times, Trump’s False Claims About the Federal Response to Hurricane Helene, Oct. 4, 2024
Acyn, Clip of Trump in Georgia, Oct. 4, 2024
Fox News, Trump holds town hall in Fayetteville, North Carolina, Oct. 4, 2024
NBC News, False claims about FEMA disaster funds and migrants pushed by Trump, Oct. 4, 2024
FEMA, Rumor response, Accessed Oct. 7, 2024
FEMA, Disaster Relief Fund: Monthly Report, Sept. 10, 2024
FEMA, Shelter and Services Program, Accessed Oct. 7, 2024
White House spokesperson Angelo Fernández Hernández, X post, Oct. 3, 2024
Congress, H.R.9747 - Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act, 2025, Sept. 26, 2024
PolitiFact, FEMA money taken for immigration enforcement: What you need to know, Oct. 2, 2024
PolitiFact, Fact-checking whether FEMA funds were shifted to indefinite detention at the border, Aug. 30, 2019
PolitiFact, How the U.S. funds disaster recovery, Sept. 14, 2017
Email interview, Karoline Leavitt, Trump campaign spokesperson, Oct. 7, 2024
Department of Homeland Security, Statement to PolitiFact, Oct. 7, 2024
Email interview Joshua Sewell, director of research and policy at Taxpayers for Common Sense, Oct. 7, 2024
Federal Emergency Management Agency, Emergency Food and Shelter Program, accessed Oct. 6, 2024
Federal Emergency Management Agency, Shelter and Services Program, accessed Oct. 6, 2024
Congressional Research Service, FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program-Humanitarian Relief (EFSP-H) and the New Shelter and Services Program (SSP), Aug. 30, 2023
PolitiFact, Key facts about immigration data: What it can and can’t tell us about border policies, Jan. 3, 2024
Congressional Research Service, Shelter and Services Program (SSP) FY2024 Funding, April 17, 2024
U.S. Congress, Further Consolidated Appropriations Act, 2024, Sept. 30, 2024
Congressional Research Service, FEMA Assistance for Migrants Through the Emergency Food and Shelter ProgramHumanitarian (EFSP-H) and Shelter and Services Program (SSP), Aug. 31, 2023
FEMA, The U. S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) Fiscal Year 2024 Shelter and Services Program - Competitive (SSP-C), accessed Oct. 6, 2024
This article originally appeared on Austin American-Statesman: Trump's claim that Biden wiped out FEMA aid for immigration is absurd
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