Trump Campaign Blames FEMA Hurricane Aid Shortage on Biden-Harris Expansion of Aid to Illegal Migrants

President Donald Trump’s campaign is crediting President Joe Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris’ administration for the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) reported insufficient emergency funding to endure the hurricane season. 

Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas claimed on Tuesday afternoon FEMA “does not have the funds to make it through the (hurricane) season.”

FEMA’s disaster relief funds (DRF), which are used to assist state governments overwhelmed by catastrophes, are currently in the negative. 

Secretary Mayorkas assured that FEMA is “meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have,” but that FEMA is “expecting another hurricane hitting.”

President Trump blamed FEMA’s funds’ scarcity to mismanagement of FEMA’s budget by the Biden-Harris administration. 

Specifically, the Trump campaign published information revealing FEMA recently doubled its funding for non-governmental entities providing housing assistance to immigrants apprehended by the Department of Homeland Security. 

FEMA upped its financing of such entities by around $300 million, from $363.8 in 2023 to $650 million in 2024. 

Trump Campaign National Press Secretary Karoline Leavitt condemned the move, claiming it demonstrated Harris’ preference for immigrants over US citizens. 

“FEMA has run out of money for the rest of hurricane season because Kamala Harris used the funds for free giveaways to illegal immigrants,” said Leavitt. “This is inexcusable and yet another example of Kamala Harris putting Americans LAST!”

Entities receiving aid include religious charities which provide a wide array of services to immigrants shortly after they cross the border, or otherwise enter, into the US. 

Catholic charities obtained a significant portion of 2023’s aid, receiving around $40 million from FEMA. 

Trump’s campaign has used immigration and the ongoing border crisis to undermine Harris. 

Trump Vice Presidential nominee, JD Vance, used his recent debate against Harris’ VP nominee Tim Waltz as another opportunity to attack Harris’ immigration policies. 

“We have a historic immigration crisis because Kamala Harris started and said that she wanted to undo all of Donald Trump's border policies,” said Vance. “Ninety-four executive orders suspending deportations, decriminalizing illegal aliens, massively increasing the asylum fraud that exists in our system, that has opened the floodgates.”