FEMA Workers Stay In Maui 5-Star Hotels While Residents Homeless

American taxpayers are paying for more than 100 Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) workers to stay in five-star hotels in Maui while thousands of the island’s residents are homeless after surviving the deadly wildfires, according to a new report.

The Daily Mail’s James Franey broke the news that government bureaucrats are taking advantage of luxury hotels on the island at the taxpayers’ expense — with FEMA officials reportedly budgeting $1,000 per night for each employee. The three high-end hotels being used by the 100 FEMA workers staying on the island are the Fairmont Kea Lani, Four Seasons and the Grand Wailea Astoria — all of which are located a “45-minute drive away from the fire-ravaged town of Lahaina,” according to the Daily Mail.

Franey noted in his reporting that the Grand Wailea “has 776 rooms that start at 640 square feet. The hotel is set on 40 acres of tropical gardens and sits right on one of Maui’s most beautiful beaches, Wailea Beach.”

He went on to report that these officials are staying at this hotel for “$531 per night, a company insider said, but where rooms currently on offer to the general public start at $749.”

An individual who works for the local government — who was identified only as Kaleo for fear of losing his job — told the Daily Mail that he saw the decision to put FEMA officials up in luxury hotels as selfish because survivors of the wildfires are currently sheltering inside churches.

“Shouldn’t they stay closer to the site, instead of staying across on the other side of the island?” he suggested to the outlet.

While government officials have no trouble finding luxury accommodations, Maui residents have been struggling to receive aid from the federal government. The Biden administration has reportedly only approved $7 million in emergency funds to assist those displaced by the wildfires to stay in hotels or condos. However, the Daily Mail noted that local residents say FEMA has blocked volunteer organizations from handing out supplies — allowing only FEMA-approved supplies to be given to victims.

Biden also announced $700 payments per household impacted by the wildfires, which was heavily criticized for not being nearly enough to make a difference for those who had lost their homes and their loved ones.