The Federal Emergency Management Agency announced its implementing unprecedented measures to stretch remaining disaster relief funds. Democrats in Congress are refusing to fund the Department of Homeland Security, and FEMA hasn’t received funding for 70 days since its appropriations expired, the agency said.
With the implementation of the Immediate Needs Funding, FEMA continues funding many priority efforts, but activities that aren’t essential to saving lives are paused.
At the beginning of the government shutdown, the agency’s Disaster Relief Fund, which is the primary vehicle the agency uses to provide recovery when the president declares a disaster, contained approximately $9.8 billion. Over two months later, it’s less than $3 billion, according to FEMA.
“Democrats are endangering national security by playing political games with the Department’s budget,” Department of Homeland Security Secretary Markwayne Mullin said in a statement.
The news comes with hurricane season officially beginning on June 1. FEMA has used Immediate Needs Funding nine times in the past 20 years, according to CBS News. Doing so during a government shutdown, however, would be unprecedented.
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