Outrage as Mayorkas Warns of FEMA Funding Shortage Amid Ongoing Hurricane Season

Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody slammed Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas for claiming FEMA lacks funds to address the ongoing hurricane season, highlighting the administration's alleged diversion of resources to support migrants.

With the southeastern United States still reeling from the devastating impact of Hurricane Helene, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has sparked outrage by suggesting that FEMA does not possess sufficient funding to navigate the remainder of the hurricane season.

In an interview on "Fox & Friends First," Florida Attorney General Ashley Moody vehemently criticized Mayorkas' comments, emphasizing the administration's alleged misallocation of funds. She pointed to the reported expenditure of over $1 billion on migrants, arguing that this diversion has compromised FEMA's ability to provide adequate disaster relief.

Outrage as Mayorkas Warns of FEMA Funding Shortage Amid Ongoing Hurricane Season

"Everyone should be waking up this morning outraged by that comment," Moody asserted. "This is not something that has just happened recently. And Florida's been warning about this since this administration took over. Mayorkas has come in like a virus and infected what need[s] to be healthy, strong, fundamental programs to ensure the stability and safety of Americans in times of disaster."

According to Moody, FEMA's Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) has been systematically drained of hundreds of millions of dollars, with the funds repurposed to support an "illegal immigrant resettlement program."

Outrage as Mayorkas Warns of FEMA Funding Shortage Amid Ongoing Hurricane Season

"So you heard they have taken the FEMA emergency food and shelter program and over time siphoned off hundreds of millions of dollars into basically making it an illegal immigrant resettlement program," Moody explained. "And so when you see these states and cities around the nation declaring emergencies, even blue states, because of what this administration has done, encouraging more and more and more, developing programs to encourage more and more and more people to come here. The government, Biden and Harris, are having to fund that on the backs of the American people."

Moody emphasized that states like Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, and Georgia, which have been severely impacted by Hurricane Helene, are now facing a desperate funding shortage for disaster relief due to the administration's alleged diversion of funds.

Outrage as Mayorkas Warns of FEMA Funding Shortage Amid Ongoing Hurricane Season

"And right now in Florida, North Carolina, Tennessee, Georgia, all of these states are hurting because of this truly natural disaster, not a Biden-Harris-made disaster," Moody stated. "They're saying we need more money. And of course, they need more money because they've been laundering it from the intended purpose of this fund that Congress set forth. Laws be damned."

Mayorkas' warning comes amidst ongoing relief efforts and disaster response activities in the wake of Hurricane Helene, which made landfall last week as a Category 4 storm. The hurricane's destructive path has left over 190 fatalities across affected states.

Outrage as Mayorkas Warns of FEMA Funding Shortage Amid Ongoing Hurricane Season

In response to Moody's accusations, the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) has refuted claims that funds for migrants have been diverted from disaster relief funds. DHS insists that the Shelter and Services Program (SSP), which supports migrants, is a separate program funded by Congress and does not draw from FEMA's disaster-related funds.

"These claims are completely false," DHS stated in a statement. "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."

The White House has also defended its handling of disaster relief funds, asserting that FEMA has adequate resources to address the current hurricane season. However, Moody and other critics maintain that the administration's alleged prioritization of migrant support over disaster relief has left FEMA ill-equipped to respond to ongoing disasters.