Republican presidential nominee Donald Trump speaks during a rally in Saginaw, Mich., on Oct. 3.Brendan McDermid/Reuters
This article is part of The Globe’s initiative to cover dis- and misinformation. E-mail us to share tips or feedback at disinfodesk@globeandmail.com.
Misleading claims about the U.S. Federal Emergency Management Authority (FEMA) and its hurricane disaster response are being amplified by Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump and his allies, including vice-presidential candidate JD Vance.
FEMA administrator addresses Trump’s claims
Speaking at a campaign event in Saginaw, Mich., on Oct. 3, Mr. Trump said “People are dying in North Carolina. They’re dying all over those five, six states. They’re dying and they’re getting no help from our federal government. They have no money, because their money has been spent on people that should not be in our country.”
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell addressed claims by Mr. Trump in an interview on CNN on Oct. 8 where she said, “we really have just got to stop this rhetoric because what it’s doing is it’s putting fear in the people that we’re not going to be there to help them.”
FEMA’s fact-check page also debunks this claim saying, “FEMA has enough money right now for immediate response and recovery needs.”
Claims Helene victims only receive US$750 is false
Mr. Trump at a rally in Butler, Penn., on Oct. 5 said, “They’re offering them $750. They’ve been destroyed, these people have been destroyed,” referencing aid given to people affected by Hurricane Helene. JD Vance repeated the false US$750 claim at the same rally.
The US$750 amount is for what FEMA calls Serious Needs Assistance, an initial payment people may receive while the agency assesses eligibility for extra funds. The FEMA site says, “you may still receive additional forms of assistance for other needs such as support for temporary housing, personal property and home repair costs.”
Amounts allocated to assistance to individuals is also separate from aid the federal government can provide to states.
It is false to suggest FEMA funds are being ‘stolen’
At the same rally Saginaw rally on Oct. 3, Mr. Trump baselessly claimed, “They stole the FEMA money just like they stole it from a bank so they could give it to their illegal immigrants who they want to have vote for them.”
There is no evidence the Biden White House is directing FEMA funds in exchange for votes from undocumented immigrants.
Non-citizens cannot vote in federal, state, and most local elections.
FEMA’s funding is allocated and overseen by Congress. The agency cannot redirect funds from one program to another without congressional approval.
As The Globe reported last week, FEMA did spend US$650-million on its Shelter and Services Program which “provides humanitarian services to non-citizen migrants following their release from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).” By contrast, FEMA allocated almost US$20-billion to its Disaster Relief Fund.
Musk repeats false claim FEMA is confiscating aid
In a post to X on Oct. 4 citing an unnamed SpaceX employee, Elon Musk amplified the debunked claim that FEMA is confiscating aid civilians are attempting to distribute.
Screenshot of a post on X from Elon Musk's official account amplifying a false claim from an unnamed source that FEMA is confiscating aid.X
The Globe asked FEMA about this and the agency responded on Oct. 4 saying, “The claims about FEMA confiscating or taking commodities, supplies or resources in North Carolina, Tennessee, or any state impacted by Helene are false. FEMA is continuing to work with our federal family and state and local partners in the impacted areas to effectively bring in life-saving resources to the people and communities who need it most. As of Oct. 3. FEMA has deployed more than 9.3 million Meals Ready to Eat (MREs), over 11.2 million litres of water, more than 260,000 and 150 generators to areas impacted by Helene.”