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FEMA Head Says Agency Has Cash For Hurricane Relief After Mayorkas Said Agency Lacked Funds To ‘Make It Through’ Season

(Screenshot/Fox News)

Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell on Monday appeared to contradict Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas’s claims that the agency would run out of funds to address disaster relief during the hurricane “season.”

The discussion on “Special Report with Bret Baier,” which highlighted discrepancies in the federal government’s disaster preparedness funding, raised concerns about FEMA’s readiness to handle the rest of the year’s emergencies. Mayorkas had previously stated that FEMA “does not have the funds to make it through the season” as he further explained that despite a $30.5 billion budget for FY 2024, additional resources would be necessary.

“So we have enough funds to absolutely get through the response for this hurricane, as well as the continued response for Hurricane Helene. Our budget, now that we have the CR and the full authorization to spend against the President’s fiscal year 25 budget, and we will continue to meet the needs of the individuals that are impacted by these storms,” Criswell told Bret Baier.

Despite this reassurance, Criswell did acknowledge a potential budget strain.

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“But we don’t have enough money to continue throughout the rest of the year. And we went into immediate needs funding earlier in the year to make sure we can do just what we’ve been doing through Helene, as well as now the preparations for Milton,” Criswell added. “What I find that we might need to do is in the December-January timeframe, we may have to go back into that immediate needs funding to ensure I always have enough to support life -saving actions.”

Reflecting on FEMA’s operational timeline and the response to Hurricane Helene, Baier asked whether the process could have been managed differently. The FEMA director, drawing on experience as a local emergency manager, emphasized the importance of starting disaster responses at the local level.

“I know what their needs are. And part of me being on the ground is being able to listen to them and understand what their concerns are so we could move those resources,” Criswell explained. “We did a pre-landfall emergency declaration.”

Mayorkas previously stated that the agency faces a cash shortage for disaster relief amid Hurricane Helene after spending over $1 billion on migrant assistance in the last two years. Mayorkas said that FEMA’s financial reserves are insufficient to cover the ongoing hurricane season.

“We are expecting another hurricane hitting. We do not have the funds, FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season. So it doesn’t have the funds to make it through the season,” Mayorkas said Wednesday.

FEMA and DHS did not respond to the Daily Caller News Foundation’s request for comment.