Republicans, especially Donald J. Trump and his enablers on Fox News, have repeated lies about FEMA funding while Americans are suffering. It’s gotten so bad that FEMA set up a Hurricane Rumor Response page.
In an interview with Fox News Sunday, House Speaker Mike Johnson said over calls to bring Congress back to fast-track emergency funding for hurricane victims, “We’ll be back in session immediately after the election.” Well, Mike, Congress holds the purse strings, and 175 Republicans have voted against funding FEMA in 2021, so now would be the time.
Still, even though answers to hurricane relief are easily Googleable, Maria Bartiromo shamelessly went there, saying, “How is it possible that FEMA is out of money?” Also, note that she ties in foreign aid with hurricane relief, a big talking point with the right wing.
“Biden is urging Congress to come back, approve more funding for FEMA by the end of the year,” she told Arkansas Rep. French Hill. “Vice President Harris is still under fire for promising to send $157 million to Lebanon. Yeah, Lebanon. While residents of at least six states in America are struggling to recover from Hurricane Helene.”
