Kamala Harris’s campaign has publicly named 99 Republicans who voted against Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funding two weeks ago.
The vote was part of a $20 billion package on September 25. The bill passed both the House and Senate, however 82 representatives and 18 senators voted against the bill, all of whom are Republicans.
These included legislators for some of the areas most affected by Hurricane Helene, such as Florida Representative Matt Gaetz, Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene, Senator Tim Scott of South Carolina, and Senator Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee.
On October 7, the Kamala Harris campaign account on X, formerly Twitter, posted a list of the lawmakers’ names and states, along with the caption, “These are the Republicans who voted against FEMA funding two weeks ago.”
The post received over 2 million views and a mixed response from commenters. The RNC has been contacted via email outside of work hours for comment.
Detractors have a variety of reasons for opposing FEMA funding, namely a belief that the money is mismanaged.
One of legislators who voted against the bill was the Chairman of the Economic Development, Public Buildings, and Emergency Management Subcommittee, Representative Scott Perry.
As part of his opening remarks on September 5 to the subcommittee that he chairs, Representative Perry said that FEMA spends taxpayer money on “amplifying climate science messaging to increase public demand for building codes and standards,” which he believes should be the purview of individual states.
Representative Perry has been contacted via email outside of work hours for comment.
FEMA Urban Search and Rescue Task Force members searching a flood damaged area with a search canine in the aftermath of Hurricane Helene, Asheville, North Carolina. Congress faced resistance from Republican lawmakers when trying to pass an additional FEMA funding bill.
Mario Tama/Getty images
Some Republican legislators, including Texas Governor Greg Abbot, have also accused FEMA of aiding migrants instead of helping American citizens. FEMA has disputed this claim, saying, “no money is being diverted from disaster response needs.”
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FEMA has been coordinating a force of almost 7,000 federal workers to provide meals, water, generators, tarps, and other supplies and equipment on the ground across North Carolina, South Carolina, Virginia, Tennessee, Florida, and Georgia which were declared disaster zones following the devastation left by Hurricane Helene on September 24.
Florida is currently bracing for Hurricane Milton which is expected to make landfall in Florida today.
FEMA has also had to brace against a tide of disinformation on the organization. A page on its website called Rumor Response fact-checks stories being spread about the organization’s work.
According to its website, “FEMA provides assistance to survivors regardless of race, color, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, religion, age, disability, English proficiency or economic status.”
Florida Representative Gus Bilirakis, who voted against the bill, told Newsweek: “I have traveled throughout my district in recent days and witnessed the devastation my constituents have endured as a result of Hurricane Helene.
“It is unfathomable that before these residents have even begun to rebuild that we are having to prepare for another potentially catastrophic hurricane. I am very concerned for my district and for all Floridians as we brace for a very dangerous storm. I encourage my constituents to heed the advice of local emergency professionals and to stay as safe as possible during the coming days. This is a time when we need to be uniting in support of one another.
“I support returning to Washington as soon as possible to vote on a stand-alone bill that ensures FEMA and NFIP are funded at necessary levels to respond to Milton and future disasters without being tied, as the CR was, to disastrous policies and wasteful spending.
“Right now, I am working with federal, state and local officials to determine the specific amounts that need to be included as well as programmatic language that will give enhanced flexibility to reimburse for activities that have allowed the state and local governments to respond to these back-to-back emergencies.”
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