Kamala Harris has come under fire for pledging millions of dollars in aid for Lebanon while so many Americans in the southeast are still reeling from the devastation caused by Hurricane Helene—so here is what the numbers say.
The Vice President said on Sunday that the U.S. would provide nearly $157 million in additional assistance to the people of Lebanon “for essential needs such as food, shelter, water, protection, and sanitation to help those who have been displaced.”
It comes after Israel continues its operation against the Iran-backed militant group Hezbollah in Lebanon, including hitting the country’s capital of Beirut and the northern city of Tripoli last weekend.
Meanwhile, Federal assistance for survivors of Hurricane Helene surpassed $137 million on Sunday, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) said in its most recent update.
North Carolina, where around half Helene’s 200-plus victims died, according to the Associated Press, received more than $30 million, while Georgia and South Carolina, where dozens were killed in each state, received more than $30 million and $5.7 million respectively.
Florida has been given more than £71 million, Virginia more than $330,000 and Tennessee $175,000.
While this $137 million for Helene victims is less than the $157 million given to Lebanon, federal spending on helping Americans recover from Helene will increase as time goes on.
Helene is the second-deadliest hurricane to strike the U.S. mainland in the past half-century, surpassed only by Hurricane Katrina, which claimed at least 1,833 lives in 2005.
In total, the federal government ended up authorizing a total of $120 billion in aid for those affected by the disaster.
Congress recently provided $20 billion to FEMA’s disaster relief fund as part of a short-term government spending bill designed to fund the government until December 20.
But Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on October 2 that while FEMA should be able to meet immediate needs, it does not have enough money to make it through the hurricane season—June 1 to November 30.
Several folks on social media, namely MAGA supporters and Republican figures, have criticized Harris’ Lebanon announcement as part of their ongoing attack against the Biden-Harris administration’s response to Hurricane Helene, which has impacted the key swing states of Georgia and North Carolina just a few weeks before the 2024 election.
Florida Senator Rick Scott wrote: “If we renamed Florida and North Carolina to Lebanon and Ukraine, maybe Kamala Harris would send disaster relief faster. She’s made it clear that being Americans puts us last in line.”
Similarly, Georgia Representative Marjorie Taylor Greene said: “Yes it’s a real post. Kamala Harris is ‘concerned about the security and well-being of civilians suffering in Lebanon.’ She has sent them $385 million this year, $157 million this week. Kamala gave Hurricane Helene victims $750 bucks. Americans can fire her soon.”
Indeed, the most recent $157 million announcement brings the total amount of U.S. aid to Lebanon to $385 million this year.
But the “$750 bucks” Greene is referring to, is the immediate cash disbursements Harris mentioned during her speech in Augusta, Georgia, on October 3, when she mentioned the payments as part of a larger relief effort.
“And 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,” she said at the time.
Newsweek has contacted the White House, via email, and FEMA for any further comment.
Kamala Harris speaks at FEMA headquarters on September 30 in Washington. FEMA has spent more than $137 million to help Hurricane Helene victims.
AP
