Whistleblowers have come forward with claims that the Federal Emergency Management Administration (FEMA) misappropriated taxpayer dollars.
They also said that FEMA left first responders on the ground with no orders, leaving Americans struggling in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene.
Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL) wrote to Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, detailing the whistleblowers’ allegations.
“My office has been in contact with whistleblowers in numerous emergency-management functions at the federal, state, and local levels, and they all point to the same critical management issue. FEMA has wasted taxpayer funds, misappropriated funds, and left other federal, state, and local responders without deployment orders on the ground,” Gaetz wrote. “As reported and further confirmed by my office, hundreds, if not thousands of service members were deployed by the Department of Defense to North Carolina and have sat idle, waiting for FEMA.”
“We have confirmed FEMA employees deployed, on the clock, awaiting orders in hotels,” the letter continued. “FEMA pre-disaster aid was withheld, exacerbating the emergency. It is also public that NGOs have purchased airline tickets for migrants through the use of FEMA funds.”
Gaetz asked FEMA what policies are in place to prevent emergency funds from being directed to illegal immigrants, what portion of funds were spent on American citizens versus noncitizens, and what portion of funding from the Disaster Relief Fund was spent on non-disaster relief programs.
The letter follows Mayorkas stating that FEMA does not have funds to “make it through” hurricane season.
