Former President Donald Trump ripped into the Biden-Harris administration on Thursday, accusing it of spending FEMA money to house illegal immigrants while the government warned it may run out of funds for future hurricane relief.
Trump made the comments during a rally in Saginaw, Michigan, where he discussed economic policy, the border, and the Biden administration’s response to Hurricane Helene. Trump called the Biden-Harris handling of Helene, now with a death toll of more than 200, the “worst response in the history of hurricanes.”
“If you want to see how sick and distorted Kamala Harris’ priorities are, just consider FEMA,” Trump said, referring to the $1.4 billion in FEMA money being used to house migrants over the last two years. “Kamala spent all her FEMA money, billions of dollars, on housing for illegal migrants, many of whom should not be in our country.”
“Now we have a horrific disaster in North Carolina, Georgia, South Carolina, Alabama, Tennessee, Florida, and Virginia,” he added. “And the Harris-Biden administration says they don’t have any money…they spent it all on illegal migrants.”
Trump said that it was wrong that the money was being spent to house illegal immigrants while there were homeless veterans on the streets.
FEMA has responded to the accusations by saying it has enough funds to address “immediate needs” from Hurricane Helene and that funding for migrant housing programs was differently allocated from funding for disaster relief. However, Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas said on Wednesday that future relief may be jeopardized.
“We are expecting another hurricane hitting,” Mayorkas said. “We do not have the funds. FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season and what — what is imminent.”
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During his speech, Trump also said that he would work to make Michigan a center of car manufacturing.
“We’re going to take back our auto industry for Michigan,” he said. “We’re going to make it the car capital of the world. We’re not going to let them steal your business. And it’ll end up being bigger and better and more beautiful and more important than it was at its height.”
He said he would incentivize companies to move their factories to the United States by offering them access to “the lowest taxes, the lowest energy costs, the lowest regulatory burdens” if they hired American workers.
Polls forecast a close race in Michigan, with Harris currently having 0.2 point lead in the state, according to an average of polls.