Rubio, Scott Call on FEMA for Expedited Reimbursements After Nehls Criticized Agency's 'Lack of Funding'

Senators Marco Rubio (R-FL) and Rick Scott (R-FL) have sent a letter to the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) Administrator Deanne Criswell requesting that affected local governments receive timely reimbursements from past hurricanes – including Helene and Debby. According to Sen. Rubio, some local governments are experiencing budget shortfalls, which could affect current and future disaster recovery efforts.

An expedited reimbursement to these local governments could go a long way, according to the senators.

However, this request from Sens. Rubio and Scott comes at a time in which the Biden-Harris administration has been called out for misusing FEMA’s resources on behalf of illegal immigrants instead of American citizens.

For instance, after Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas recently announced that FEMA does not have the necessary funds to provide aid throughout hurricane season, Representative Troy Nehls (R-TX) took a shot at the Biden-Harris administration, saying in response to the Mayorkas comment that it is putting "the American people last.”

“The Harris-Biden Administration spent OVER $1,000,000,000 in FEMA funds on services for illegal aliens,” said Rep. Nehls. “Meanwhile, Mayorkas says FEMA doesn’t have enough money to make it through the rest of hurricane season. This administration continues to put the American people last.”

Regardless, Sens. Rubio and Scott thanked FEMA Administrator Criswell for the agency’s efforts in their letter.

“Thank you for your efforts, to date, in response to Hurricane Helene. Following the landfall of Hurricane Helene on September 26, 2024, some affected county and municipal governments in Florida face looming budget shortfalls that could severely disrupt ongoing disaster response and recovery efforts. In light of these challenges, we write to request you expedite outstanding reimbursements to local governments affected by Hurricanes [Irma, Michael, Ian, and Idalia],” wrote Rubio and Scott.

They continued, mentioning that expedited payments could affect the local government’s ability to “pay wages, overtime, and other up-front expenses” surrounding disaster response.

“Given the devastation in Florida, municipal budget shortfalls could further exacerbate the challenges our communities are facing. Delivering outstanding FEMA reimbursements for costs associated with past storms will help provide the budget flexibilities needed for a robust response to Helene. Thank you for your attention to this important matter,” Rubio and Scott concluded.

More than 200 people have died from Hurricane Helene and its effects as it made landfall in Florida and swept into Appalachia, hitting the hardest in the ill-prepared region.