Hang on a minute, Beege, you say - I think I've heard that song before!
And you would be right!
In fact, the agency was already squawking for help in August.
During the peak of the Atlantic hurricane season, the Federal Emergency Management Agency ran out of money from their 2024 budget. While it comes in the midst of flood recovery in southeast Georgia and the Lowcountry, it is not uncommon.
U.S. Congress suggests and votes on how much federal funding FEMA receives every year, and in 2024, it was nearly $20 billion, according to the United States Senate Committee on Appropriations. Georgia District 1 Rep. Buddy Carter said running out of funding happens.
That's a lot of cha-ching to blow through - granted, this year has had its challenges, but every year does - and as the Congressman in the article said, they have to go back and ask for more.
This year is the second year in a row, and the shortfall came just after Hurricane Beryl hit Houston.
For the second year in a row, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) says its Disaster Fund has run out of money.
FEMA’s administrator stated that the agency will now focus on providing funds solely to those with immediate needs.
In Houston, many residents affected by Hurricane Beryl have been waiting over a month for their recovery checks.
Mayorkas and others were waiting on a $9B supplement to pass Congress, but, as POTATUS didn't bother to designate it as "emergency" funding, I guess the urgency of the need didn't get through.
-Biden's proposal w/ $14B in weapons for Israel: a 69-page, fully-drafted legislative proposal formally addressed to the House speaker.
— Stephen Semler (@stephensemler) October 1, 2024
-Biden's proposal w/ $9B for FEMA: a two-page summary table. https://t.co/eKdEYB36el pic.twitter.com/DGwgrayzyo
Congress did pass a stopgap bill last week with an additional $16B for FEMA but that amount is going to pale in comparison to what's going to be needed in Helene recovery funds.
...But on Wednesday, Speaker Mike Johnson said that although congressional leaders anticipated that an emergency spending package would be necessary at some point, lawmakers would not return to Washington before the November election to consider and pass one.
“We wouldn’t even conceivably have the request ready before we get back in November,” Mr. Johnson said in an interview, noting that it would take time to assess the damage and calculate the costs of recovery and rebuilding. “There’s no necessity for Congress to come back.”
While the stopgap bill Mr. Biden signed into law last week contained an additional $16 billion for FEMA, preliminary assessments of the damage from Moody’s and others predict a cleanup effort that could cost tens of billions.
It's a whale of a lot of money piled on top of a lot of money.
At least it's the one thing that we know goes to helping AMERICANS in their time of greatest need, right?
Even if it's not the best-policed program in the world - I mean, the waste, fraud, and abuse accounting after any natural disaster these clowns are involved in is most often a disaster in itself. But they mean well, or I hope they do.
In any event, all the funding is to alleviate the pain and suffering of AMERICANS and contribute in some small measure to their recovery after horrible circumstances of whatever origin beyond their control.
Right? AMERICANS?
Ah, well. This IS the Biden-HARRIS administration, after all, and things that used to be so clear-cut are no longer what they once were.
Such as covering ALL the counties Hurricane Helene impacted. You'd think that would go without saying, but the GA governor had to give the White House a WTF jingle.
🚨Brian Kemp says he “was outraged,” had to call the White House after only 11 of the 90 counties hit were included in the FEMA disaster declaration — rural counties neglected.
— johnny maga (@_johnnymaga) October 3, 2024
Kamala was at a fundraiser during the storm.
Far bigger scandal than Katrina.pic.twitter.com/BFLBxFt3pT
You have to have that disaster declaration to get federal help for relief, recovery, and clean-up efforts - help like FEMA funds.
That used to be exclusively for AMERICANS, and now that we're running short, we suddenly find they also go to resettling housing illegals.
The Biden-Harris Administration has diverted over $1 billion in FEMA funds meant for disaster relief to illegal immigrant services. Just yesterday, Mayorkas warned FEMA lacks the funds to last through hurricane season. It's egregious that resources meant for American citizens are…
— Congressman Ben Cline (@RepBenCline) October 3, 2024
...It's egregious that resources meant for American citizens are being compromised for this Admin’s reckless open-border agenda.
"Wait, WHUT?!" you say.
Dang, it was clever of them. You see, when they threw open the border and all those folks flooded over just like they'd planned, well - it takes a lot of money to handle that human horde. And where was THAT supposed to come from?
One of Biden's first acts in office was to cancel Trump's declaration of a national emergency at the border in order to shut down the wall project. But he soon started invoking his own authority for border-related national emergencies.
The disbursement of FEMA funds falls under "national emergencies."
Hello.
It took an X buddy of mine who spends his off time scrolling through government grants to find where some of that assistance has gone. As he said, it's called the "Shelter and Services Program" and has scooped up over a billion dollars and counting.
Guess I’ll bump this since FEMA just said they’re out of money.
— Oilfield Rando (@Oilfield_Rando) October 2, 2024
They’ve spent nearly a billion dollars on assistance for illegal immigrants in the last two years https://t.co/fwfB2LiiF5
And Rando's X bot is tweeting out FEMA grants to illegal immigrant support groups and services all the time. Scroll through, and your jaw will hit the frickin' floor from tons of giveaways like this one.
Federal Emergency Management Agency grant (2023)
— RandoLand.us (@RandoLand_us) October 3, 2024
Amount: $3,187,715
Recipient: Mission Border Hope
Purpose: Shelter and services program (migrant assistance)https://t.co/GQV9vxpNH9
Or this one responding to a "national emergency."
Your government used FEMA funds to build a Migrant Welcome Center.
— Natalie Winters (@nataliegwinters) October 2, 2024
Now they don’t have the funds to help Americans impacted by hurricanes. pic.twitter.com/v2CoftsAMY
Oh, darn hurricane and bitchy victims. Now everyone's looking under the bedcovers for diverted FEMA money.
Harris-Biden have been using FEMA to fund their illegal immigrant invasion.
— Outspoken (@GetOutspokenUSA) October 3, 2024
So when disaster strikes here at home, the funds aren’t there for suffering AMERICANS who need it.
Disgusting. We deserve so much better. pic.twitter.com/rnma1N1L3J
So, while there are lovely new illegal immigrant welcome centers and housing going up, and big cities like New York got money, there were no FEMA pre-staged supplies or emergency relief personnel or necessities for the AMERICANS in Helene's path unless you were lucky enough to have a state governor named DeSantis.
...FEMA’s top priorities under the incumbent administration, meanwhile, do not include disaster relief among the top two goals of the emergency services agency. According to FEMA’s own website, the stated goals include, first, instilling “equity as a foundation of emergency management,” and second, “lead[ing] whole of community in climate resilience.” The goal to “promote and sustain a ready FEMA and prepared nation” ranks third.
Now, residents across the southeastern United States are suffering from the administration’s misplaced priorities, which place “equity” and “climate resilience” ahead of emergency preparedness. While FEMA routinely prepares for colossal rescue operations with resources lined up in the days ahead of major storms, such pre-staged support was clearly not available to residents in the Appalachian towns that were washed away by overwhelming rains from Hurricane Helene. Hundreds remain missing as the storm becomes the Biden administration’s “Katrina moment.”
It'll be closer to $2B diverted from FEMA coffers by the time, GOD WILLING, these grifters leave office.
MAYORKAS: “We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have. We are expecting another hurricane hitting. FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season.”
— America First Legal (@America1stLegal) October 3, 2024
The Biden-Harris FEMA spent over $1 BILLION on funding illegal aliens. https://t.co/Ctrkd9xdWe pic.twitter.com/LseKL1sWPk
Sure hope nothing else happens in the meantime.
The cavalry definitely ain't on the way unless you speak Spanish or Haitian or something.
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