Congress Must Stop Putting Ukraine Ahead Of Disaster Relief For Americans
As hurricane season looms, Americans look to their representatives to ensure that adequate disaster relief is in place. But a troubling trend has emerged in Washington: the mixing of funding for domestic disaster relief with financial aid for foreign conflicts. Rep. Jared Moskowitz (D-FL) states that the White House has entangled funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) with Ukraine’s war aid. The move has been criticized as a method to corner Republicans into choosing between disaster victims and foreign intervention.
This isn’t just a political maneuver; it’s a betrayal of the American people’s trust. Moskowitz, who filed a bill to refund FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund (DRF) for $12 billion, explained, “The FEMA administrator said these communities, both in Maui and in Florida, will have the money they need for the response. But one of the things that we know is that hurricane season is just beginning.”
Currently, FEMA has about $3.4 billion in its coffers. While that might sound like a lot, it’s far from sufficient with wildfire impacts in Hawaii and the effects of Hurricane Idalia, which struck the Southeast this week. To make matters worse, we’re in the 12th month of the federal government’s fiscal year, with balances already low. Sen. Rick Scott (R-FL) is among those demanding a vote to replenish the DRF before another disaster strikes.
Congress is losing sight of its fundamental purpose: representing Americans. Instead of keeping FEMA funding separate, the Biden administration has lumped it with Ukraine aid.
Recent drone strikes on Moscow by Ukraine indicate either a failure to heed American wishes or a secretive shift in mission from defense to offense. The stakes are high, as former Russian President Dmitry Medvedev’s recent warnings suggest potential escalation into nuclear warfare.
With this latest FEMA gimmick, our representatives in Washington are failing to guarantee that aid reaches Americans in need and risking taxpayer dollars on a conflict that’s increasingly volatile and less supported.
Hurricane Andrew, which hit Florida and Louisiana in 1992, caused more than $25 billion in property damage. Back then, Americans were not grappling with their government’s attempts to siphon off disaster relief funds for foreign causes. Times have changed, but the need for unambiguous, direct funding to tackle natural disasters has not. Americans are resilient, but that resilience should not be tested by a government prioritizing foreign war efforts over immediate domestic needs.
As FEMA Director Deanne Criswell said, the agency’s current funds “will not last forever.” Congress faces a critical decision as the fiscal year-end approaches and the hurricane season begins. But it’s a decision that should focus solely on the needs of the American people. To link disaster relief to an increasingly controversial foreign war is not just bad policy; it’s a betrayal of the people’s trust.
