With Hurricane Helene’s death toll creeping towards 250 across six states, the federal government’s lackluster response is testament to how the government doesn’t just outright fail to help American citizens during actual emergencies, but also seems to not care about them at all.
It’s Not Incompetence; They Just Don’t Care
With a deficit of $1.6 trillion dollars, one would think Congress is hard at work distributing hundreds of millions to Americans overwhelmed by natural disasters, economic strife, and health emergencies. Considering the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has an annual budget of around $30 billion dollars, the federal government should be more than prepared to deal with any natural disasters, right?
On October 2, 2024, Vice President Harris announced that: “the federal relief and assistance that we have been providing has included—FEMA providing—$750 for folks who need immediate needs being met, such as food, baby formula and the like, and you can apply now for anyone who’s watching this who has been affected. There are FEMA personnel who are going door-to-door to interact personally with folks, especially those who do not have electricity… that aid, if you have electricity, can be applied for online.”
Stranded Americans will receive $750 to get back on their feet—but only after they apply online and confirm their home address.
Despite its immense budget, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced that FEMA is strapped for cash and is unable to provide disaster relief throughout the hurricane season. Unfortunately, it’s not as if FEMA has been busy at work elsewhere. The agency has been sitting on a pile of unliquidated funds intended to help victims of previous natural disasters.
FEMA has been doing little to actually provide those billions to afflicted families. To put it in perspective, the disaster relief funds intended for victims of Hurricane Sandy in 2012 were set to be dispersed by 2016—about $5 billion in that disaster relief is still sitting around, unused. In addition, FEMA has recently halted nationwide relief projects intended to rebuild communities hit by natural disasters, with no clear timeline as to when they will resume.
The Fed Busies Itself With Foreign Politics, and Ignores Its Own Citizens
According to FEMA’s 2024 fiscal year awards report, over $640 million have been redirected “to enable non-federal entities to off-set allowable costs incurred for services associated with noncitizen migrant arrivals in their communities.” That’s a $276.2 million increase from 2023’s allocation, which topped off at $363.8 million in FEMA funds.
Even while there are reportedly 13,000 illegal aliens with murder convictions who have been apprehended and released into the United States, and over half a million more with criminal convictions or pending charges, the federal government has no qualms providing over $1 billion in taxpayer dollars to illegals rather than helping American citizens.
Just a week after Hurricane Helene made landfall, Secretary of State Anthony Blinken posted on X: “The U.S. is at the forefront of humanitarian response to the growing crisis in Lebanon, announcing nearly $157 million in assistance today. We are committed to supporting those in need and delivering essential aid to displaced civilians, refugees and the communities hosting them.”
The U.S. government has no problem providing hundreds of millions to Lebanon, and many billions more to the forever-war in Ukraine, but if you try to conduct voluntary rescue trips to save stranded North Carolinians, you will be threatened with arrest.
This isn’t surprising; the government holds a steady track record of ignoring Americans in their times of need. Lest we forget how President Obama abandoned the people of Flint, MI after drinking water contamination allegedly from the city’s own supply. How about when it took President Biden a full year to visit East Palestine, OH for a photo op? Or when the Biden-Harris Administration pledged $12 billion in FEMA relief for Hawaiians who lost their homes to the Maui fires last year? Despite federal promises, many Hawaiians are still homeless and struggling to rebuild their lives. At least they received one-time $700 payments from FEMA…
Harris’ superficial promises of aid are falling on deaf ears. The federal government has shown time and time again that, while it certainly has billions in funds to help Americans suffering from natural disasters and economic turmoil, it simply chooses not to. The Fed’s priorities show, and they are clearly not toward helping American citizens when they need it most.
Maybe the next time a politician makes grand promises like government-subsidized housing aid, or student loan forgiveness in the attempt to garner support, it would be best to remember the words of former President Ronald Reagan: “The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I’m from the Government, and I’m here to help.”
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