A South Carolina representative is looking to redirect funds to hurricane relief efforts from a FEMA program that supports migrant arrivals — one for which a handful of Massachusetts congressmen had requested $3 billion.
Republican Rep. Nancy Mace has called for the termination of FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program, requesting all unspent funds be redirected to help Americans recover from natural disasters.
Five of Massachusetts’ nine representatives urged the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Homeland Security last March to direct $3 billion in funding to the shelter program.
Mace called out the 20 House members who signed the letter in an X post on Friday.
“Remember when 20 far-Left, America-last members of Congress thought it was brilliant to demand $3 billion in extra FEMA funds,” Mace wrote, “not for disaster relief, but to house and feed illegal aliens?”
“Wonder if they’ll push for a dime to help Americans impacted by Hurricane Helene,” she added.
Reps. Lori Trahan, D-Massachusetts, and Diana DeGette, of Colorado, led the unsuccessful push. Reps. Jim McGovern, Bill Keating, Ayanna Pressley and Seth Moulton signed on from the Bay State.
In response to a Herald request for comment, Trahan posted on X Saturday afternoon, slamming Mace.
“Two weeks ago, the House voted to fund $20 billion for FEMA, which is now being used to support communities devastated by Hurricane Helene. Nancy Mace voted no,” Trahan wrote. “The real question is if she’ll vote for a dime to help Americans recovering from the storm. She hasn’t so far.”
Congress in late September replenished FEMA’s Disaster Relief fund with $20 billion — the same amount the agency got last year to pay for recovery from hurricanes, floods, earthquakes and other disasters.
About $8 billion has been set aside for recovery from previous storms and mitigation projects. The $20 billion is part of a short-term government spending bill to fund the government through Dec. 20, which also gives FEMA flexibility to draw on the money more quickly as needed.
The Herald did not immediately receive comments from McGovern, Keating, Pressley and Moulton. McGovern and Pressley’s X feeds were active Friday night and Saturday, but no posts mentioned hurricane relief efforts.
This all comes as Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Virginia and Tennessee continue to grapple with the fallout of Helene, a Category 4 hurricane that has killed more than 200 people — the deadliest mainland hurricane since Katrina in 2005.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said last week that while the Federal Emergency Management Agency can meet immediate needs, it does not have enough funding to make it through the hurricane season, until the end of November.
Mayorkas’ remarks underscored concerns voiced by President Biden and some lawmakers earlier in the week that Congress may need to pass a supplemental spending bill to help states with recovery efforts.
“It’s unacceptable for Americans to grapple with the catastrophic aftermath of Hurricane Helene while the federal government remains fixated on spending hundreds of millions on a program sheltering illegal immigrants instead of helping our own citizens,” Mace said Friday.
When asked if Trahan would favor allocating more funding for hurricane relief, a member of her office told the Herald: “Absolutely. She has always supported bipartisan disaster relief efforts since being elected to Congress.”
Per federal officials, FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program partners with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection, with the intent to “support CBP in the safe, orderly and humane release of noncitizen migrants from short-term holding facilities.”
The program received $650 million in funding in fiscal year 2024 from the CBP.
Trahan and the other representatives’ request for $3 billion came amid the continuing migrant influx and crisis. They highlighted backlogs in immigration-related services and how local communities were stepping up “to provide humanitarian support.”
“In Woburn, Massachusetts, local community leaders and school teachers worked to clothe and feed migrants,” part of the letter highlighted. “However, without additional federal resources, these communities and so many others can only do so much.”
The Biden-Harris administration in late August awarded Massachusetts more than $20 million from the program to support family shelter costs.
“Massachusetts urgently needs federal support as we work to meet unprecedented demand on our family shelter system as a result of a surge in immigrant families arriving in our state,” Gov. Maura Healey said in a release.
Former President Donald Trump has also accused FEMA of spending all its money to help immigrants in the country illegally.
FEMA has called the accusations “completely false.”
“The Shelter and Services Program (SSP) is a completely separate, appropriated grant program that was authorized and funded by Congress and is not associated in any way with FEMA’s disaster-related authorities or funding streams,” a DHS spokesperson said.
Disaster survivors have received $750 for immediate assistance – clothes, food, etc. – from FEMA. The agency can provide other things like money for a storage unit, medical bills, or rental assistance depending on the situation.
For homeowners, the first line of defense is always insurance. Those who don’t have insurance or not enough can turn to FEMA, but the maximum amount someone can get to rebuild is $42,500.
“This is one of the kind of major problems FEMA has in terms of how the public understands their role and responsibility,” said Samantha L. Montano, an assistant professor of emergency management at the Massachusetts Maritime Academy. “FEMA does not make anybody whole after a disaster happens. They are not going to give you enough money to completely recover your life.”
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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