White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre appeared to flip on whether FEMA resources were used for migrants as Americans hard-hit by Hurricane Helen try to recover in the aftermath.
In a recent press conference, Jean-Pierre apparently denied that agency resources were intended to help migrants, Fox News reported. reported Sunday.
When I'm a reporter said“Former President Trump has accused the Biden administration of using FEMA funds to aid illegal immigrants. How is the White House responding?”
Jean-Pierre replied: “That's completely false. It's not true, it's a false statement. The facts of the matter are: washington post Fact Checker wrote an article recently, just a little while ago or a little while ago, and the headline was, “No, Biden didn't take FEMA relief money to spend on immigrants, but Trump did.'' ” was. I’ll leave it there”:
However, at a press conference on September 16, 2022, Jean-Pierre said: asked If only the White House had a plan to compensate cities that saw immigrants bused into their areas.
She responded, “FEMA regional managers are meeting with city officials on the ground to coordinate available federal assistance from FEMA and other federal agencies.”
“Funding will also be made available through FEMA’s Emergency Food and Shelter Program to eligible local governments and nonprofit organizations upon application to support humanitarian relief for migrants,” she added.
The relevant portion of the clip begins at the 23:38 mark.
Readers can: clock Edited versions of both clips can be found here:
Meanwhile, as Americans try to rebuild their lives in North Carolina, where historic flooding from Hurricane Helen washed away roads, destroyed homes and killed many, critics say the Biden-Harris administration has strongly criticized the use of FEMA funds.
“Vice President Kamala Harris announced a $100 million package to help states,” the Fox report said. “But critics pointed out that the package was much smaller than the $157 million in foreign humanitarian aid Harris announced for Lebanon on the same day.”
On Thursday, Breitbart News reported that Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said FEMA lacks the funding to get through the remainder of the hurricane season, which ends on Nov. 30.
The report also noted that “$640 million has nevertheless been allocated to DHS specifically for issues related to illegal immigration.”
