Department of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas told reporters Wednesday that FEMA does not have enough cash to last the rest of the year, despite spending hundreds of millions of dollars on migrants under the Biden administration, and that more disasters may be on the way.
DHS oversees FEMA, putting Mayorkas in charge of the emergency assistance agency, which has recently concentrated on helping migrants settle in the United States.
“We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have,” Mayorkas told journalists. “We anticipate another hurricane hitting. FEMA does not have enough cash to get through the season.
Mayorkas’ shocking statement comes as FEMA deals with the massive damage caused by Hurricane Helene, a Category 4 hurricane that blasted through the southeast, bringing billions of dollars in infrastructure damage, food shortages, and more than 100 deaths. Many are still unaccounted for.
Earlier this week, President Joe Biden stated that he may ask Congress to increase FEMA funds.
In April of this year, FEMA announced $640 million in new money, $300 million for “direct funding” to help immigrants settle in the United States, while the remaining $340 million went to localities through grants for the same purpose.
According to a press release from FEMA, organizations and cities nationwide received more than $780 million in awards through the SSP and the Emergency Food and Shelter Program—Humanitarian Awards last year.
While Congress allocates financing and money can be flexibly diverted through FEMA from other internal sources, Mayorkas’ comments demonstrate that FEMA’s resources have been focused on migrants while the agency was unprepared for this devastating hurricane season.
“FEMA has all it requires for an immediate reaction and recovery effort. As FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell has stated, she has complete ability to spend against the President’s budget, but we are still in the midst of hurricane season, so we must keep an eye on it,” said Director of Public Affairs and FEMA Spokesperson Jaclyn Rothenberg. “We may need to revert to funding for immediate needs, and we will be closely monitoring this situation.”
Illegal immigration has increased dramatically during the Biden-Harris administration, with millions of migrants entering the country and straining the federal government’s ability to process them, let alone apprehend the millions of illegal immigrants crossing the southern border.
The Biden-Harris administration has recorded nearly 14 million unlawful border crossers and inadmissibles, according to The Center Square exclusively. Members of Congress and border security specialists believe the total is significantly higher.
The hurricane season is projected to last until the end of November.
