Florida Republicans who voted against a temporary measure to replenish the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) disaster relief fund have responded to Hurricane Milton.
The Category 3 storm hit Florida’s Gulf Coast on Wednesday before it was downgraded to Category 2, wreaking havoc with winds of more than 100 mph and dangerous storm surge in densely populated including Tampa, St. Petersburg, Sarasota and Fort Myers. Milton ended up making landfall in Siesta Key near Sarasota, about 70 miles south of Tampa, where it was initially forecast to come ashore.
The Tampa region was still badly affected, with St. Petersburg recording more than 16 inches of rain, according to the Associated Press. Damage included Tropicana Field, the baseball stadium of the Tampa Bay Rays, in St. Petersburg, where the roof was ripped off.
Tornadoes hit parts of Florida before Milton even made landfall, with about 125 homes, many of which were mobile homes for senior citizens, destroyed, according to Kevin Guthrie, director of the Florida Division of Emergency Management. Deaths were reported at the Spanish Lakes Country Club near Fort Pierce, but the numbers were unclear.
AP
Congress passed a stopgap spending bill on September 25 to keep government agencies funded into December and avoid a shutdown, leaving final spending decisions until after Election Day. Senators passed the measure in a 78-18 vote after the House approved it 341-82. Republicans supplied all of the no votes in both chambers.
The bill provided $20 billion for FEMA—the same amount the agency received last year. It also gave FEMA flexibility to draw on money as needed, but it left out billions that had been requested in supplemental disaster funding.
Many Republicans took issue with the stopgap bill for multiple reasons, including that it did not include the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act (SAVE Act), which would require proof of citizenship in the voter registration process. At one point, former President Donald Trump, the GOP presidential nominee, urged Republicans to allow a government shutdown if they were unable to include the SAVE Act.
On top of that, some Republicans claim that FEMA does not respond well enough to disasters because they said it diverted relief funds to help migrants. FEMA has denied the claim, saying it has “a dedicated fund for disaster efforts.”
Representative Matt Gaetz
Matt Gaetz, who represents Florida’s 1st Congressional District, was one of 11 Florida Republicans to cast a no vote.
He has spoken on several podcasts before and after Hurricane Milton, saying the government is “sitting on billions of dollars that we could use to help our fellow Americans and we aren’t.”
Gaetz told media personality Joe Pags that FEMA should use its “housing assistance” funds, which he said was being used for migrants instead—something FEMA has denied.
He also spoke on Benny Johnson’s The Benny Show, alleging that private citizens who have been trying to provide “water, diapers, the essentials for people, they’re often encountering a lot of resistance from FEMA” in North Carolina.
Florida, by contrast, has a “governor [Ron DeSantis] who has completely taken charge” and an emergency response system that is “resilient” and “activated,” Gaetz said.
Representative Anna Paulina
Anna Paulina, from the 13th Congressional District, had already called for federal aid after Hurricane Helene devastated Florida and five other southeastern states, killing at least 230 people.
She told Fox News on Thursday: “Like many residents that evacuated the Pinellas County region, I think that we’re all anticipating that…the damage is gonna be probably pretty devastating.”
Paulina also spoke directly to people in her district, telling them to go to her office if they are “struggling with a FEMA claim.”
She added: “I want everyone to know that I’ve actually been in talks with, not just FEMA and the governor’s office, but also the White House. And we are going to ensure that money goes to Americans and not illegals—the fact that that happened is unacceptable.”
Host Laura Ingraham interrupted her to say that this is being classed as misinformation by the White House, claiming it is “blaming the people for not having trust in their institutions.”
Paulina called this “unacceptable” and then went on to “assure the American people that we do have funding.”
“We are focusing on ensuring that everyone is taken care of, and I will say that locally in Tampa Bay, whether you’re a Democrat or a Republican or an independent, we are working together to ensure our people are taken care of.”
Representative Byron Donalds
Byron Donalds, from the 19th Congressional District, told people he represents that they “will not be able to survive” the storm surge from the hurricane.
He laid out local evacuation orders and advice in an interview with Fox Business, adding that the sherriff’s department will not do emergency rescues if winds are over 45 mph.
When Donalds was asked about calls for Congress to return and pass more FEMA funding, Donalds said: “As we understand it, there is enough funds that will be able to go through this storm as well, until we return to Washington after the election in about 27 days.
“What we can’t continue to do is allow [FEMA] to become a pet project for a lot of other different funds. I think what’s been reported is that there’s been about $1 billion or so that’s going to illegal immigrants—that is in another fund under FEMA, not in a disaster relief fund.
“But that being said, what is the priority of this federal government? The funds for these disasters, whether it’s Hurricane Milton, Hurricane Helene…the priority has to be the American people first, second and third. It can’t be these other side projects of this administration or any administration.”
Other Florida Republicans Who Voted Against FEMA Funding:
- Representative Aaron Bean
- Representative Gus Bilirakis
- Representative Kat Cammack
- Representative Laurel Lee
- Representative Cory Mills
- Representative Bill Posey
- Representative Mike Waltz
- Representative Daniel Webster
What has FEMA said?
FEMA has set up a “rumor response” page to counter misinformation about Helene. It says claims that funding for disaster response was diverted to support border-related issues are “false,” noting that the FEMA’s disaster relief fund is “a dedicated fund for disaster efforts” and money meant for the fund “has not been diverted to other, non-disaster related efforts.”
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, who oversees FEMA, said last week that the agency can meet immediate needs but does not have enough funding to make it through hurricane season, which lasts until the end of November.
Newsweek has contacted FEMA via email for comment.