Hurricanes Helene and Milton: Testimony, Whistleblowers, Lack of Funding, And Testimony Amidst Congressional Deadlock

FEMA Whistleblower Controversy

Allegations that FEMA intentionally skipped homes displaying Trump lawn signs during Hurricane Milton sparked outrage. The controversy intensified after internal messages were leaked in the aftermath of Trump’s election win, prompting congressional testimony from FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell in November. FEMA quickly fired the whistleblower, Marn’i Washington, condemning the incident as “reprehensible.” However, Washington told CNN that FEMA’s “avoidance and de-escalation” policy in areas perceived as politically hostile existed before her arrival in Florida.

Washington explained that prior incidents led FEMA to believe their presence was unwelcome in areas with Trump supporters. She identified Chad Hershey as the person responsible for implementing the policy, citing reports of hostile encounters with Trump supporters as justification. She clarified that the policy targeted specific streets, not homes displaying Trump signs—a distinction that raises the question: if the situation was truly dangerous, why not use police escorts?

In a NewsNation interview, Washington shared a message from her supervisor advising workers to “avoid homes advertising Trump” as part of FEMA’s “avoidance and de-escalation” policy. She explained that workers were instructed to avoid homes where they felt “uncomfortable” or “threatened.” If the policy wasn’t a blanket ban on homes with Trump signs, why were they specifically mentioned? Wouldn’t it be more effective to avoid specific addresses linked to threats or rely on police escorts instead of avoiding entire areas?

In a Roland Martin interview, Washington further explained that FEMA does not record personal addresses but tracks hostile incidents by street. She pointed to FEMA’s “community trends,” which identified encounters with Trump supporters as justification for the policy. Washington claimed she merely relayed her supervisor’s recommendation in a team chat message, which was later leaked to the press. She also suggested the leak was politically motivated, surfacing after Trump’s election win.

However, she was never invited to testify before the House Oversight Committee.

The issue lies in FEMA’s subjective decision-making—perceiving a citizen as rude or threatening doesn’t necessarily indicate a real danger. Even if some individuals were hostile, it’s unfair to avoid entire streets based on the actions of a few. While Washington cited multiple FEMA reports of hostility, some news reports of threats against workers were exaggerated or proven false. FEMA’s lack of specific information about hostile actors, combined with poor judgment, led to hasty decisions that impacted more than just those responsible for the hostility.

FEMA  Administrator Deanne Criswell condemned the practice and confirmed an ongoing Inspector General investigation into FEMA’s handling of disasters, including these allegations. She denounced Washington’s actions, stating, “This behavior is completely at odds with FEMA’s mission and will not be tolerated.” Criswell also denied allegations of deleted incident reports and confirmed the investigation into potential Hatch Act violations.

FEMA’s Strained Resources and Congressional Testimony

On November 19, 2024, FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell testified that disasters like Hurricanes Helene and Milton had pushed FEMA’s budget to the brink, with combined costs totaling $170 billion. FEMA requested $100 billion in supplemental funding, including $40 billion for disaster relief, but Congress failed to approve two 2024 funding requests.

Criswell also highlighted the strain on related programs, such as the National Flood Insurance Program, which faced rising claims and debt following the hurricanes. She urged Congress to stabilize the program and act on President Biden’s broader funding proposals.

The following day, November 20, 2024, Criswell testified before Congress, emphasizing that FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) was nearly depleted, with less than $5 billion remaining. Hurricanes Helene and Milton alone required over $7.8 billion in federal assistance, forcing FEMA to pause $8.8 billion in critical recovery projects. She outlined FEMA’s extensive efforts, including the deployment of 10,000 personnel, 24 search-and-rescue teams, and the prepositioning of millions of meals and liters of water, but stressed the need for additional funding.

Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg testified about the depletion of the Emergency Relief program, which had less than $120 million remaining. Despite allocating $187 million for immediate road and bridge repairs, Buttigieg warned that the fund would be insufficient if another major disaster occurred. He called for support of President Biden’s $8.1 billion request to address the backlog.

Senator Patty Murray criticized the slow pace of disaster funding, pointing to communities left without power, clean water, and rebuilt infrastructure months after the disasters. Murray said such delays were “unacceptable,” stating, “This is one of the longest times in my memory that we’ve gone without Congress providing disaster funding.”

She called for replenishing the DRF and increasing support for related programs, such as HUD’s CDBG-DR and the Small Business Administration’s (SBA) disaster loan fund. However, she warned, “But funds are exhausted, and the SBA backlog is growing—over 60,000 applications already.” (The funds were exhausted by mid-October).

Congressional Responses 

During a House Oversight Committee hearing, Senator Susan Collins emphasized FEMA’s dire financial situation, noting that $7 billion had already been spent on immediate disaster responses. Other senators described the consequences of the widespread regional devastation:

Georgia Senator Jon Ossoff detailed the loss of 1.5 million acres of Georgia timberland, which devastated rural economies, and described extensive flooding of farmland.

North Carolina Senator Thom Tillis outlined the damage in North Carolina, including the destruction of 5,000 miles of roads, 1,300 bridges, and $3.4 billion in total losses. He criticized FEMA’s bureaucratic hurdles, such as requiring municipalities to differentiate storm debris by disaster, which slowed recovery efforts. He explained the urgent situation saying “We have several river basins that flooded entire towns. Asheville just got drinkable water 2 days ago, the storm hit 54 days ago.” He added, “There are some communities that won’t have it. I’ve got a community near the Virginia line that may be without power until March.”

Rep. Eleanor Holmes Norton (D-DC) questioned FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell about the agency’s response to Hurricane Helene, which left nearly 4 million people without power. Criswell explained FEMA’s tailored survivor assistance and urged bipartisan support for the Disaster Survivor Fairness Act and the Management Cost Modernization Act to improve long-term recovery efforts.

Rep. Jasmine Crockett (D-TX) criticized 19 committee members for voting against summer legislation to fund FEMA, emphasizing the essential role of disaster relief. She highlighted that FEMA’s Serious Needs Program had provided $503 million to 671,000 households affected by Hurricane Helene and $145 million to 218,000 households impacted by Hurricane Milton.

Committee Chairman Rep. Sam Graves (R-MO) revealed that 47% of FEMA calls in mid-October went unanswered, and half of the 260,000 survivors who applied for aid were denied. Rep. Chuck Edwards (R-NC) pointed out logistical failures, including hotel vouchers being issued two hours away from affected homes and a 20-day delay in opening disaster recovery centers following Hurricane Milton.

Funding Delays And Impact on Long-Term Recovery

The lack of funding has significantly delayed recovery efforts for disaster-affected communities. In Maui, where wildfires destroyed 2,200 homes, leading to a housing crisis. Only one home had been rebuilt by late November. Senator Brian Schatz proposed combining Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) and Community Development Block Grant Disaster Recovery (CDBG-DR) funds to expedite assistance, warning that continued delays would leave vulnerable communities in limbo.

Despite clear warnings about the catastrophic nature of these storms, Congress chose to recess without finalizing the funding needed to address the damages. In October, the government’s short term funding measure allocated only $20 billion to FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF), falling drastically short of the immediate needs. By November, lawmakers were presented with a nearly $100 billion emergency funding request to address disasters, including Hurricanes Helene and Milton. However, the recess stalled efforts to secure additional resources, leaving FEMA to operate with a critically low balance. In light of this, The White House has requested $98.6 billion in additional disaster relief funding, including $40 billion for FEMA.

The cost of immediate response to Hurricanes Helene and Milton alone has already exceeded $7 billion, severely straining FEMA’s resources. Senator Susan Collins explained FEMA’s funds are nearing exhaustion, with only $5 billion left in the fund, she stressed the need to replenish the fund to support ongoing recovery efforts across the country.

SBA  Administrator Isabel Casillas Guzman reported that disaster loan processing times had risen to 50 days, further delaying recovery for victims of Hurricanes Helene and Milton. She urged Congress to restore funding for disaster loans to assist homeowners, businesses, and renters in rebuilding, as all available funds ran out as of October 15th.

Senator Jack Reed pointed to Congress’s 2023 rejection of a $1.6 billion proposal to replenish FEMA’s DRF, part of President Biden’s $12 billion disaster relief request. This decision, he argued, hindered FEMA’s ability to fund long-term rebuilding projects. The political delays in securing disaster relief funding, combined with the rising frequency and intensity of disasters, have left millions of Americans vulnerable and recovery efforts stalled nationwide.

Aid Disparities and Criticism of FEMA 

Criswell addressed disparities in federal disaster funding, noting that North Carolina received 100% federal cost coverage for 180 days after Hurricane Helene, while Tennessee received only 45 days. Reps. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) and Lauren Boebert (R-CO) criticized FEMA for allocating $641 million and $110 million, respectively, to food and shelter programs for undocumented immigrants, alleging that these funds diverted resources from U.S. citizens. Criswell clarified that these allocations were mandated by Congress and were separate from disaster relief funds.

Rep. Rich McCormick (R-GA) criticized FEMA for dedicating 40% of its 2024 budget to COVID-19 relief, despite the pandemic emergency ending in 2023. He noted that only $20 billion of FEMA’s $38.2 billion FY25 budget was allocated for disaster relief. Meanwhile, Rep. Val Hoyle (D-OR) stressed the urgency of FEMA reforms to address increasingly frequent climate-driven disasters. She called for increased funding, improved forecasting, and climate resilience planning, warning that without these measures, FEMA would remain ill-prepared for future emergencies.

Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) criticized the Department of Homeland Security for obstructing FEMA reforms, emphasizing that systemic change requires collaboration between Congress and the executive branch. Rep. Debbie Goar (R-AZ) alleged that FEMA displaced local recovery efforts by seizing resources and preventing residents from rescuing trapped family members in remote areas. Similarly, Rep. Ed Chae (D-HI) condemned delays in housing aid following Maui’s $3 billion wildfire disaster—the most expensive in U.S. history—citing inefficiencies at both state and federal levels.

FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program paid over $800 million in claims. However, Rep. Garrett Graves (R-LA) criticized FEMA’s Shelter and Services Program (SSP), alleging that undocumented immigrants received up to $10,000 in assistance, while hurricane survivors received only $750 for immediate needs and a maximum of $42,500 for housing repairs. Rep. Rick Larsen (D-WA) countered, clarifying that Congress funds the SSP separately from disaster relief, and FEMA is simply tasked with implementing its mandates.

Conclusion

The hurricanes exposed systemic vulnerabilities in disaster response funding and operations. While FEMA and other agencies worked tirelessly, incompetence, red tape, and bureaucratic inefficiencies hindered recovery.

In October, House Speaker Mike Johnson dismissed calls to reconvene Congress to approve additional FEMA funding, calling such requests “premature.” He pointed to a stopgap funding measure passed in September, which was intended to sustain FEMA operations through December. However, lawmakers have since faced mounting pressure to address funding shortfalls and streamline disaster relief efforts, particularly amidst the threat of a government shutdown. The urgency was further heightened by President-elect Trump’s rejection of the continuing resolution (CR) funding bill, citing the need to eliminate “pork” provisions that had undermined prior funding efforts. Late Friday night, just before the Christmas recess, Congress passed revised funding legislation, known as The American Relief Act of 2025.