Why is FEMA Running Out of Funds?

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said FEMA "does not have the funds to make it through the [hurricane] season." Voices on the right have attributed FEMA's funding issues to aid spending on non-citizen immigrant resettlement, but that comes out of a separate fund from the Disaster Relief Fund.

The Details: Donald Trump and many outlets on the right have noted that FEMA has spent over $640 million on immigrant services this year. FEMA said, "No money is being diverted from disaster response needs. FEMA’s disaster response efforts and individual assistance is funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts."  DHS has allocated a total of $1.4 billion since fall 2022 to "community aid," including handling an influx of migrants via FEMA's Shelter and Services Program, which has its own fund.

For Context: The Disaster Relief Fund gets some resources through annual appropriations and is supplemented at the discretion of Congress, which was in recess when Hurricane Helene struck. FEMA can not reallocate funds from one program to another without congressional approval. Amid calls for an emergency session, Speaker Mike Johnson has not convened Congress to pass additional funding for disaster relief.

How the Media Covered It: Outlets on the left are more likely to fact check the claim about the migrant aid coming from a different fund, debunking some Republican claims. Some on the right, however, are making a broader argument that FEMA has misplaced priorities and the fund for housing immigrants should be smaller in order to supply resources for events such as natural disasters.