Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is calling on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to ensure funds are used solely for disaster recovery and not for illegal immigrants, the Daily Caller reported Tuesday.
Luna's district on Florida's Gulf Coast was impacted by Hurricane Helene and is now preparing to get hit hard by Hurricane Milton sometime this week. In a letter to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, obtained by the Daily Caller, Luna raised concerns about the agency's use of taxpayer money.
"The recent reporting on the Federal Emergency Management Administration's allocation of congressionally appropriated funds to illegal immigrants, leaving it without the necessary resources to respond to the recent hurricanes, is a matter of urgent concern," she wrote.
"[Homeland Security] Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas' statement at a recent press conference, 'FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season,' underscores the gravity of the situation. This mismanagement of taxpayer funds is unacceptable and requires immediate remedial action from FEMA."
Mayorkas said earlier this month that FEMA didn't have enough money to cover the rest of the hurricane season.
In the letter, Luna asked how much FEMA has spent since January 2021 to cover expenses related to the migrant crisis, including funds sent to cities, nonprofits, and other organizations. She also inquired about the steps being taken to recover those funds. Luna also is seeking assurance that no future FEMA taxpayer funds will be diverted to cover "costs imposed by the illegal migrant crisis."
In an email to Newsmax, a Department of Homeland Security spokesperson responded "to general rumors circulating on social media about FEMA funding," saying such claims "are completely false." Luna on Oct. 3 posted on X that "Illegals got $1.01B from FEMA that was supposed to/ SHOULD GO to flood victims!"
"As Secretary Mayorkas said, FEMA has the necessary resources to meet the immediate needs associated with Hurricane Helene and other disasters," the spokesperson said. "The Shelter and Services Program is a completely separate, appropriated grant program that was authorized and funded by Congress and is not associated in any way with FEMA's disaster-related authorities or funding streams."
Hurricane Helene hit Florida on Sept. 26 as a Category 4 storm, causing widespread damage in six states. FEMA has been under fire for how it responded to that storm. Meanwhile, Florida is bracing for Hurricane Milton, which is expected to make landfall in the Tampa area, likely as a Category 3 storm.
Kate McManus ✉
Kate McManus is a New Jersey-based Newsmax writer who's spent more than two decades as a journalist.
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