FEMA is officially running out of money, and it couldn’t have come at a worse time. In the wake of Hurricane Helene, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas has confirmed that the agency doesn’t have enough funds to make it through the rest of the hurricane season. The situation is dire, and according to Mayorkas, “We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have, but we are expecting another hurricane to hit. FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season.”
With Helene having already caused catastrophic damage across multiple states—destroying homes, flooding entire towns, and taking lives—the agency is struggling to keep up with recovery efforts. And the need for assistance is only growing as more than 150,000 households have registered for help, and that number is expected to keep rising. Mayorkas didn’t mince words when he said, “The breadth of its catastrophic reach is unprecedented,” calling the storm’s impact “historic.”
But here’s the kicker: While FEMA scrambles to find funding for hurricane survivors, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security has just allocated over $640 million to assist with the arrival of noncitizen migrants. Yes, you read that right. Of that amount, $300 million will be distributed through the State and Local Assistance Program (SSP-A), while $340.9 million is set aside for competitive funding. This move has sparked controversy, as many are wondering why such massive amounts are being funneled toward migrant services when American citizens facing the aftermath of natural disasters are being told that FEMA is broke.
The numbers don’t lie—FEMA is being stretched thin, and unless Congress steps in soon, the agency won’t have enough money to help hurricane victims rebuild their lives. While Congress did recently approve a $20 billion boost to FEMA’s disaster relief fund, it’s clear that this won’t be enough to cover the costs of recovery, especially with more storms on the horizon. Mayorkas was blunt: “We do not have the funds to make it through the season, and another hurricane is imminent.”
Despite the urgency of the situation, there’s no clear sign that Congress will reconvene ahead of schedule to address this shortfall. House Speaker Mike Johnson has shown little interest in changing the legislative calendar, even as some lawmakers push for a supplemental spending bill to keep FEMA afloat. With both houses of Congress focused on their upcoming elections, the people hit hardest by Hurricane Helene might just be left waiting for help that won’t arrive in time.
So, while FEMA does what it can with the resources it has, the clock is ticking. Another hurricane is coming, and if something doesn’t change soon, many Americans could find themselves stranded without the assistance they so desperately need.
