Washington
CNN
—
Former President Donald Trump used a Monday go to to North Carolina to repeat debunked lies concerning the federal response to Hurricane Helene.
Talking to reporters in a hard-hit group close to Asheville, Trump stored repeating a false declare that was extensively debunked when he made it earlier in October – his assertion that the Federal Emergency Administration Company took cash that was imagined to go to catastrophe aid and as an alternative spent it on migrants who entered the nation illegally, leaving the company with no funds to assist Individuals.
“It’s all gone. They’ve spent it on unlawful migrants,” Trump mentioned. He additionally mentioned: “Why did they spend a whole bunch of tens of millions of {dollars} on one thing that they weren’t imagined to be spending it on?” And he mentioned, “They weren’t imagined to be spending the cash on taking in unlawful migrants. Perhaps so they may vote within the election, as a result of that – lots of people are saying that’s why they’re doing it. I don’t know, I hope that’s not why they’re doing it.”
The Republican presidential nominee mentioned in the identical remarks that now “they don’t have any cash for the folks that stay right here.” And at a rally later within the day in Greenville, he mentioned, “You didn’t get the right assist from this administration. They spent their cash on unlawful migrants, they spent their cash. They didn’t have any cash left for North Carolina.”
These claims are false in not less than 4 methods.
First, there may be zero foundation for Trump’s suggestion that FEMA or the Biden administration is likely to be working some type of scheme to get undocumented immigrants to vote illegally within the 2024 election.
Voting by noncitizens in federal elections is a felony, and Trump has offered zero proof for his repeated assertions and insinuations concerning the Biden administration or FEMA supposedly attempting to get undocumented individuals to vote in 2024.
Second, it’s not true that FEMA catastrophe help cash was improperly reallocated to migrants.
Right here’s what really occurred.
Congress appropriated $650 million within the 2024 fiscal 12 months to fund a program that helps state and native governments home migrants. It instructed US Customs and Border Safety to switch that $650 million to FEMA to manage this system.
However right here’s the important thing: this $650 million pot is totally distinct from FEMA’s a lot bigger pot of catastrophe aid funds. Because the Division of Homeland Safety, the White Home and a few congressional Republicans famous earlier this month, they’re simply two separate issues funded individually by Congress – and Congress appropriated greater than $35 billion in catastrophe aid funds for fiscal 2024, in response to official FEMA statistics.
One of many Republicans who has debunked this Trump declare is Rep. Chuck Edwards of North Carolina, who was standing with Trump as the previous president repeated the declare on Monday. Earlier this month, Edwards printed a truth sheet that mentioned, amongst different issues, “FEMA has NOT diverted catastrophe response funding to the border or international support.”
Third, it’s not true that FEMA’s cash is “all gone.”
FEMA isn’t out of money. As of final Tuesday, its Catastrophe Reduction Fund had about $8.5 billion remaining, FEMA instructed CNN’s Ella Nilsen. FEMA officers have made clear that it has sufficient cash for the quick wants of individuals affected by Hurricane Helene – although the massive variety of disasters across the nation this 12 months, from tornadoes to wildfires to flooding to the latest hurricanes, means the company might need to ask Congress for extra catastrophe aid funding prior to anticipated.
Edwards wrote in his truth sheet: “FEMA is NOT going to expire of cash. FEMA officers have repeatedly affirmed that the company has sufficient cash for quick response and restoration wants over the subsequent few months.”
It’s true that Homeland Safety Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas mentioned early within the month that with one other hurricane anticipated after Helene, “we wouldn’t have the funds, FEMA doesn’t have the funds, to make it by the season.” However he mentioned in the identical feedback that they have been capable of “meet quick wants,” though “that doesn’t converse concerning the future”; he actually didn’t say, as Trump did, that FEMA’s cash was “all gone.”
Fourth, it’s not true that the Biden administration “didn’t have any cash left for North Carolina.”
The Biden administration has offered numerous types of help to North Carolina within the wake of Hurricane Helene. The White Home says greater than $300 million has been accepted up to now.
As of final Tuesday, FEMA specifically had accepted greater than $102 million in Helene-related help to people in North Carolina, the company says, along with tens of tens of millions in help to native governments within the state.
