FEMA has funds needed for 'immediate response and recovery,' despite Mayorkas' warning

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) said Thursday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has the funds needed for "immediate response and recovery" in the wake of Hurricane Helene — even as Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas warned about a potential lack of money.

"FEMA has what it needs for immediate response and recovery efforts," spokesperson Jaclyn Rothenberg said 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."

The agency had recently lifted immediate needs funding, which allows the agency to focus on urgent efforts and pause non-urgent projects, but Rothenberg said the agency may still need to go back to that "and we will be watching it closely."

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Mayorkas had grabbed headlines on Wednesday when he said that FEMA does not have enough funding to make it through hurricane season, which lasts until November.

"We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting," he said. "FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season."

Mayorkas spoke on Air Force Once as the states and the federal government assess the damage from Helene, which hit several states and has killed more than 160 people. His calls echoed those by President Biden, who said that Congress may need to pass a supplemental spending bill to help states.

Congress recently made $20 billion in immediate funding available for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund as part of a bipartisan deal to avoid a government shutdown at the end of last month. But Congress is currently out until mid-November, after Election Day.

Mayorkas later clarified his remarks at the same event, saying that the short-term funding does not give the agency stability. 

"We have the immediate needs right now. On a continuing resolution, we have funds, but that is not a stable source of supply, if you will," he said. "This is a multibillion-dollar, multiyear recovery."

"It’s very important to note that even though we’re on a continuing resolution, we can obtain spend-fast funds so that we can dip into funds that are slated for the duration of the year to meet immediate needs," he said. "So, we are meeting the moment, but that doesn’t speak about the future and the fact, as I mentioned earlier, that these extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and severity, and we have to be funded for the sake of the American people. This is not a political issue."

On Capitol Hill, a source familiar with the congressional appropriations process also said that the Disaster Relief Funding is not in immediate danger of running out of money.

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"While we will not know the full cost of Helene until the first 30-day estimate comes in, FEMA ended last year with a little less than $2 billion (which carried over). The CR also provided them access to an additional $20.261 billion. That is roughly $22 billion in total for this fiscal year so far," they said.

Meanwhile, Mayorkas’ remarks about a potential lack of funding had drawn criticism from Republicans and conservatives, who had pointed to funding used by FEMA for grants to house and care for illegal immigrants who had crossed the southern border.

"Mayorkas and FEMA — immediately stop spending money on illegal immigration resettlement and redirect those funds to areas hit by the hurricane," Gov. Greg Abbott said on X.

Critics referenced the Shelter and Services Program (SSP) spent $650 million in FY 23 on grants to non-profits and local organizations to assist migrants. But the Biden administration pushed back, noting that the funding is appropriated by Congress and completely separate from disaster relief funding.

"These claims are completely false," a DHS spokesperson told Fox News Digital. "As Secretary Mayorkas said, FEMA has the necessary resources to meet the immediate needs associated with Hurricane Helene and other disasters. 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."

White House spokesperson Angelo Fernandez Hernandez called the claim that money had been spent on services for illegal immigrants instead "false."

"The Disaster Relief Fund is specifically appropriated by Congress to prepare for, respond to, recover from, and mitigate impacts of natural disasters. It is completely separate from other grant programs administered by FEMA for DHS," he said.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.