Harris leads Republican delegation demanding FEMA Overhaul

On Thursday, freshman Congressman Mark Harris, R-NC08, led the North Carolina Republican delegation in sending a letter to the US Department of Homeland Security demanding an overhaul of FEMA following reports that FEMA  allegedly sent millions to house illegal immigrants in high-end hotels in New York City. 

“Rogue FEMA operators sent $59 million to house illegal aliens in luxury hotels while many North Carolinians are still homeless from the devastation of Hurricane Helene – totally disgraceful,” Harris told the Carolina Journal. “This latest scandal just re-affirms that we need a complete and total overhaul of FEMA. President Trump was right to call the agency a failure – Congress must conduct oversight and ensure this kind of corruption never happens again!”

So let’s get this straight: @FEMA is helping illegals while North Carolina is still rebuilding its communities from Hurricane Helene? What a slap in the face. https://t.co/9XQr5awwk0

— Rep. Mark Harris (@RepMarkHarrisNC) February 10, 2025

FEMA, in collaboration with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), manages the funds in question, according to the website. For fiscal year 2024, Congress allocated $650 million to the Shelter and Services Program (SSP). This program provides financial assistance to non-federal entities to support sheltering and related services for noncitizen migrants after their release from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS).

It also followed January reports that Helene victims were kicked out of hotels despite the extended deadline. 

“In the wake of Hurricane Helene, North Carolina has witnessed first-hand the need for serious FEMA reforms to better address the federal response to future natural disasters,” reads the letter. “There is no doubt that a complete and total overhaul of FEMA is necessary. Therefore, we applaud the President for the much needed call to re-examine FEMA…We hope to gain greater insight into FEMA’s activities during the Biden Administration that paved the way for the scandalous distribution of funds that prioritized illegal aliens over the American people.”

The letter was also signed by Rep. Virginia Foxx, R-NC05, Rep. Addison McDowell, R-NC06, Rep. Pat Harrigan, R-NC10, Rep. Chuck Edwards, R-NC-11, and Rep. Tim Moore, R-NC14. Foxx and Edwards are the only signers not in their freshman term. McDowell flipped the district when elected to Democrat Kathy Manning’s seat. Harrigan was elected to Republican Patrick McHenry’s seat, while Harris filled Republican Dan Bishop’s seat, who stepped down to run for attorney general.

“FEMA’s job is to help Americans rebuild after disasters—not funnel millions to luxury hotels for illegal immigrants,” Harrigan told the Carolina Journal. “The fact that unelected bureaucrats diverted $59 million in taxpayer funds for this purpose is a slap in the face to North Carolinians still recovering from Hurricane Helene. North Carolina Republicans are demanding full accountability, and we won’t stop until FEMA is reformed to put American citizens first.”

Moore, formerly Speaker of the NC House of Representatives in the North Carolina General Assembly, lamented the red tape clogging up relief effort for constituents in his district and throughout western North Carolina..

“When Hurricane Helene tore through Western North Carolina, my constituents needed immediate action, but instead, they were met with bureaucratic delays and excuses,” Moore told the Carolina Journal. “Under the previous administration, FEMA has been bogged down by mismanagement and political agendas. I’m proud to work with President Trump and my colleagues in North Carolina to completely reform FEMA from the ground up and put American people first.”

The post Harris leads Republican delegation demanding FEMA Overhaul first appeared on Carolina Journal.