Outside the Biltmore Estate, Republican lawmakers, including U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, spewed false claims also made by former-President Trump about federal disaster relief.
Johnson himself made claims that only hours before had been refuted by Republican House Rep. Chuck Edwards, who stood beside him at the Wednesday press conference.
BPR News is continually looking into rumors and debunking those that are widespread and able to be investigated thoroughly.
In this piece, we’re taking on these falsehoods stated –and refuted – by Republican lawmakers including Sen. Thom Tillis, Sen. Ted Budd and Rep. Chuck Edwards:
False claim: FEMA turning people around
Johnson said people trying to deliver Starlink satellite materials to parts of western North Carolina were being turned around by FEMA agents.
“It took hours to cut through the red tape finally to get Starlink sent to people. The problem was, as we assessed it later, is that someone at FEMA or someone down the line apparently was instructed that they couldn't allow anyone in unless they had an appointment with someone at the top of the mountain,” Johnson said.
Flanked by Edwards and U.S. Senator Thom Tillis, Johnson recalled a text exchange with Starlink founder and billionaire Elon Musk.
On Tuesday, Edwards sent out a sprawling email quelling disinformation and rumors being spread on social media including those involving FEMA turning people away:
“FEMA is NOT stopping trucks or vehicles with donations, confiscating or seizing supplies, or otherwise turning away donations,” Edwards wrote. “FEMA does not conduct vehicle stops or handle road closures with armed guards - all road closures are managed by local law enforcement who are prioritizing getting resources to their fellow community members,” he wrote.
False claim: Federal response took days
While speaking about the Biden-Harris administration, Johnson said the federal response to the disaster “took days.”
“I wonder what people in the path of … Helene would say about the fact that it took days for them to receive services that they desperately needed,” Johnson said.
Last Friday, while speaking at Asheville’s Mission Hospital, Sen. Tillis remarked on the online chatter that the federal response to the storm has been slow:
“We need to keep in mind that the federal government had assets in this area before we knew what kind of a weather event it was going to be. Did we have everybody? No. And the reason for that is it would have defied any sort of historical examples to think that we'd be experiencing the damage that we're experiencing today. But I have a lot of confidence. I want to thank the federal, uh, state and local agencies first among the first responders,” he said.
False claim: FEMA money to immigrants
Johnson also said FEMA money was being used to relocate immigrants from the southern border:
“There's some valiant, heroic people working on the ground as there always is in situations like this. But it's the concern about decisions made at the very top. One of these decisions they made was to use an account in FEMA to resettle illegal aliens in our country,” he said.
NPR previously reported that FEMA “disseminated hundreds of millions in grants from Customs and Border Protection to municipalities that saw an influx of migrants.” The funds were not distributed directly to individuals.
Edwards stood by Johnson at the Wednesday press conference, but in his Tuesday email, he stated the opposite of Johnson’s flawed assertion:
“FEMA has NOT diverted disaster response funding to the border or foreign aid. Disaster response efforts and individual assistance are funded through the Disaster Relief Fund, which is a dedicated fund for disaster efforts.
FEMA’s non-disaster related presence at the border has always been of major concern to me, even before Hurricane Helene, and I will continue to condemn their deployment of personnel to the southern border, but we must separate the two issues.”
False claim: FEMA limiting money
In Butler, Pennsylvania, this week, former President Donald Trump made claims about the Biden-Harris administration’s response to Hurricane Helene, illegal immigration and the economy.
“They’re offering them $750 to people whose homes have been washed away. And yet we send tens of billions of dollars to foreign countries that most people have never heard of," he said. "They’re offering them $750.”
Edwards, speaking Wednesday, attributed the rumors about FEMA limiting aid to only $750 to “good old fashioned storytelling.”
According to Politifact, the $750 is under the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Serious Needs Assistance program, which covers immediate needs after a disaster, including “food, water, baby formula, breastfeeding supplies, medication and other emergency supplies.”
Through this program, the White House said, FEMA paid out more than $1 million to more than 1,400 North Carolina households within a day.
As of Oct. 4, FEMA said the Biden administration provided more than $45 million “in flexible, up-front funding” to Hurricane Helene survivors. The agency said it has provided more than 11.5 million meals, 3.32 million gallons of water, 150 generators and 400,000 tarps to the affected region.