Steube Introduces Bill Defunding Foreign Aid During Natural Disasters

Many Americans remained in tents after Hurricanes Helene and Milton, yet federal dollars continued to be sent to other countries. Representative Greg Steube (R-FL) has introduced a bill defunding foreign aid during domestic natural disasters.

Rep. Steube has named his bill the Securing Taxpayer Assistance during Natural Disasters (STAND) Act. This bill would withhold bilateral, multilateral, and humanitarian non-defense foreign assistance obligated or expended by the State Department or USAID during the first 60 days of a Presidentially declared disaster. It can only be waived by a joint resolution in Congress.

The STAND Act was introduced as a response to the Biden Administration's announcement of over $1 billion in foreign aid to 31 African countries suffering from natural disasters last week, sparking outrage among Americans for not going to those suffering in North Carolina and Florida after severe hurricanes devastated their communities.

"After one of the deadliest hurricane seasons on record, Floridians are still living under tarps, and Carolinians spent Thanksgiving freezing in tents. Meanwhile, the Biden administration continues to prioritize foreign aid over American citizens. Just recently, President Biden announced $1 billion in disaster relief for Africa—while victims of Hurricanes Helene and Milton here at home still wait for help. The American people have felt neglected for four years while Biden prioritized the needs of other countries. It’s time our policies reflect the needs of our own people," said Rep. Steube in his press release.

The foreign aid is the latest scandal surrounding the Biden Administration's response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas announced early in October that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) lacked the funds for disaster relief, which many perceived to be because the money was spent on resettling illegal aliens, as financial records leaked by the campaign of President-elect Donald Trump subsequently uncovered.

Further outrage was sparked in November after it was found that FEMA supervisor Marn'i Washington supposedly ordered workers to ignore houses with signs signaling support for Trump, prompting a Congressional hearing with Administrator Deanne Criswell.