The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has been put under a microscope amidst the destruction caused by Hurricanes Helene and Milton. Many Republican members of Congress have claimed FEMA and the Biden administration haven’t done enough to help the people affected by the disasters.
FEMA’s disaster relief funding comes from Congress.
A viral X post from Vice President Kamala Harris’ campaign claims the Republicans complaining about FEMA’s response voted against funding FEMA. The campaign names 100 Republicans who they say voted against it.
Several VERIFY readers asked us if these claims were true.
THE QUESTION
Did 100 Republicans vote against funding FEMA?
THE SOURCES
THE ANSWER
The 100 Republicans named by Harris’ campaign voted against a budget bill to fund the entire federal government through Dec. 20, 2024. The bill did include continued funding for FEMA’s disaster relief fund.
WHAT WE FOUND
On Sept. 25, 2024, 100 Republican senators and representatives voted against a budget bill to continue funding the entire federal government, including FEMA’s disaster relief fund, through the end of 2024. A separate bill to give FEMA additional funding to respond to Hurricane Helene has yet to be put up for a vote.
This type of temporary funding bill, known as a continuing resolution, is a short-term measure meant to prevent a government shutdown until Congress is able to agree on and pass an annual budget. The Continuing Appropriations and Extensions Act keeps the government funded at current levels through Dec. 20, 2024.
Division A, Sec. 134 of the act sets aside money for FEMA’s disaster relief fund, which pays for all of FEMA’s disaster response activities. This was one of many provisions in the bill, which covers funding for all aspects of the federal government.
The bill passed the House by a 341-82 vote and passed the Senate by a 78-18 vote. All of the votes against the bill were Republicans.
Many of the Republicans who voted against the bill voted for a different continuing resolution a week earlier. The bill they voted for had provisions of the SAVE Act, which would have required people to provide documentary proof of their citizenship when they register to vote. That bill failed to make it out of the House, and the bill that did later pass did not have those same provisions.
Despite voting against the continuing resolution, some of the 100 “nays” voiced their support for allocating funds for hurricane victims. On Oct. 1, Sen. Tim Scott (R-S.C.), penned a letter to Senate leadership on the “urgent need to pass an appropriations package to support” victims of Hurricane Helene.
The letter was signed by the 12 senators representing Florida, Georgia, South Carolina, North Carolina, Tennessee and Virginia. That group includes two other senators who voted against the budget bill: Sen.Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) and Sen. Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.).
As of Oct. 9, Congress has proposed just one bill to provide FEMA additional funding for disaster relief in response to Hurricane Helene.
That bill, H.R.9905, would provide $10 billion in supplemental appropriations to FEMA’s disaster relief fund. As of Oct. 9, no additional action has been taken since the bill was introduced by Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.) on Oct. 8, 2024.