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One day before Hurricane Helene, these Florida Congress members voted against funding FEMA

By Giselle Balido

October 10, 2024

In response, Florida congressman Maxwell Frost and more than 40 Democrats nationwide are calling for House Speaker Mike Johnson to hold a vote on additional funding for FEMA and small businesses.

Just one day before Category 4 Hurricane Helene hit the Sunshine State on Sept. 26, 11 Republican representatives from Florida voted against providing additional funding to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the agency that offers relief to people and areas devastated by natura disasters. 

The vote was part of a larger $20 billion budget bill. 

The bill passed both the House and Senate despite 100 Republicans voting against it, including the following Florida members of Congress: Representatives Daniel Webster; Michael Waltz; Bill Posey; Cory Mills; Anna Paulina Luna; Laurel M. Lee; Matt Gaetz; Byron Donalds; Kat Cammack; Aaron Bean; and Gus M. Bilirakis.

RELATED: ‘Document everything’: Your 10-step guide to insurance claims after Hurricane Milton

Rick Scott, Florida’s Republican senator who is seeking reelection in Nov., did not vote on the measure.

Now, in the wake of the disaster wrought by Hurricane Milton, the Category 3 storm that made landfall along Florida’s west coast on Wednesday, devastating cities and unleashing tornadoes, and leaving at least 10 dead, some of those Republicans are calling for more FEMA aid.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, who voted against funding FEMA last month, is among those calling for more money to address the disaster. On Tuesday, Rolling Stone reports, Luna introduced legislation to allocate $10 billion from FEMA for disaster relief in Florida.

“We need FEMA DOLLARS FREE’D UP,” Luna, an ally of former President and Republican nominee Donald Trump, wrote on her X account.

The Republicans Against Trump account promptly replied: “Have you apologized already for voting against FEMA funding?”

Debunking lies about FEMA funding and spending

FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell told reporters this week that while FEMA needs more long-term funding, the agency has funding and “sufficient resources to support the ongoing responses to Hurricane Helene as well as Hurricane Milton.”

Despite this, FEMA has been the target of disinformation by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump, who has been making false claims that money that went to manage an influx of undocumented immigrants in recent years depleted money for hurricane relief, a claim that Criswell calls untrue.

“This kind of rhetoric is not helpful to people,” said Criswell during an interview Sunday on ABC’s This Week. “It’s really a shame that we’re putting politics ahead of helping people.”

Additionally, a page on FEMA’s website fact-checks lies and conspiracies being spread about the organization’s work.

“Money is not being diverted from disaster response needs,” FEMA’s website explains in response to the false allegations that funding for its disaster response was diverted to support international efforts or border-related issues. 

“The Disaster Relief Fund is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts. Funding for communities to support migrants has nothing to do with this fund and its resources have not been diverted to other non-disaster related efforts,” it explains.

A call to action

On Wednesday, Gen Z Florida congressman Maxwell Frost joined more than 40 other Democrats nationwide calling for House Speaker Mike Johnson to hold a vote on additional funding for FEMA and small businesses in the wake of Hurricanes Helene and Milton.

“We write to you amidst a season marked by unprecedented natural disasters and increasingly severe weather events that have left communities across our nation in dire need of additional and comprehensive disaster relief funding,” the congress members wrote in the letter to Johnson.

Johnson, however, told CNN earlier this week at Congress would instead reconvene “immediately after the election.” 

RELATED: DeSantis declines call from VP Harris as Biden-Harris Administration ramps up Hurricane Milton support

Author

  • Giselle Balido

    Giselle is Floricua's political correspondent. She writes about the economy, environmental and social justice, and all things Latino. A published author, Giselle was born in Havana and grew up in New Jersey and Miami. She is passionate about equality, books, and cats.

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