In this clip, Fox anchor Maria Bartiromo cites a 2022 clip of White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre to make claims made about FEMA's emergency food and shelter program. That is indeed a separate fund from disaster spending.
Maria Bartiromo on separate funds being used for migrants and FEMA disaster spending: “So what if it's two different funds?”
Maria Bartiromo: “The White House keeps pushing back. ... This is two different funds. One FEMA fund is for food assistance like you just heard — but so what if it's two different funds? At the end of the day, it's FEMA money.”
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From the October 9, 2024, edition of Fox Business' Mornings with Maria
MARIA BARTIROMO (ANCHOR): Kamala Harris and Joe Biden gutted the FEMA money run by Alejandro Mayorkas who's got this wide open border. So the White House keeps pushing back, no, no, no, you're confusing it, this is two different funds. One FEMA fund is for food assistance like you just heard — but so what if it's two different funds? At the end of the day, it's FEMA money, and they used FEMA money for illegal migrants which is what one of your colleagues, Andrew Clyde, just told us. Here's what he said, watch. Then I'll get your response.
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BARTIROMO: I mean, Mr. Chairman, can you believe this? We are looking at Florida and North Carolina, people hanging on from trees to, you know, to stay alive. They've lost everything because of these storm surges and now they're worried that FEMA doesn't have any money to help them? Why? Because they used the money? Kamala Harris and Alejandro Mayorkas used the money for illegal migrants. Is this true?
JASON SMITH (R-MO): You know, Maria, it's absolutely heartbreaking to see what's happened in Appalachia. But what is atrocious, it's not just about FEMA using their funds as a slush fund for the president and vice president's liberal priorities such as, you know, providing relief to to illegals instead of Americans. What's so disturbing, Maria, is the complete lack of leadership that we are seeing out of the White House. Vice President Harris and President Biden, it's like they really don't care about the disaster that's happening in Appalachia. That is what's so disturbing. They should be boots on the ground more than just photo ops and trying to make political talking points.
BARTIROMO: You, as the chairman of House Ways and Means and as an elected official, can't you ensure that the taxpayer dollars are going where taxpayers expect? And not a cleanup of a FEMA fund for illegal migrants who are actually disrupting life everywhere in this country for American citizens?
SMITH: Maria, one of the most frustrating things as a member of Congress is when we appropriate the dollars for the intended use, we then see the abuses of the administration's spending in complete different ways than what was appropriated.