FEMA Misusing Funds

Four Federal Emergency Management Agency (fema) officials were fired on Tuesday for granting $59 million to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants. The payments were discovered by the Department of Government Efficiency (doge) as fema is being audited for misuse of funding.

Hotels: The $59 million, allocated by the Joe Biden administration, is now being returned to fema in a “clawback” order from the Department of Homeland Security.

dhs Secretary Kristi Noem said the hotels housed Tren de Aragua gang members and the killer of 22-year-old Laken Riley.

Audits: An executive order was signed by United States President Donald Trump on January 24 creating a council to assess fema’s use of federal funds. Over the years, several audits have found that fema has misused tens of billions of dollars.

• A January 30 audit by the dhs found the agency mismanaged nearly $10 billion during the covid-19 pandemic.
• In August 2024, an audit discovered $7 billion in unliquidated funds were wasted because fema agents did not follow proper procedures.
• The 2024 audit also “reviewed a sample of 20 other grants and identified approximately $32.8 billion in improper payments.”
• A 2023 audit found that $110 million given as humanitarian relief funds to local organizations was not used properly. The organizations could not provide the dhs with receipts or documentation, and the investigation found that some of the money went to illegal migrants.

President Trump suggested terminating the agency.

Exposed: Many on the left are criticizing President Trump and doge of being “dictatorial” and “tyrannical” for wanting to shut down agencies like fema. But the Trump administration is trying to get rid of the deep-seated corruption in America. Those who benefit from the bureaucracy hate being exposed.

Learn more: Read “The ‘Dictator’ Who Shrinks His Own Government.”