“Survivors and communities affected by the disaster are our number one priority and will remain our number one priority,” said Acting FEMA Director Cameron Hamilton.
The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) representative said Thursday that disaster response agencies will consider grants and funding to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) amid calls for the Trump administration to reform the agency. .
Acting Director Cameron Hamilton said in a post on social media platform X that the agency considered raising funds for NGO agents, saying, “Disaster-affected survivors and communities remain top priority and will continue to be It’s our number one priority.”
FEMA’s goals “prioritize survivors and communities affected by the hardest hit,” he added. “We’re doing this because we want to be responsible for the dollar and reach those in need.”
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In recent months, FEMA has faced criticism from Republicans over how it handled disaster relief efforts, following Hurricanes Milton and Helen, who struck the southern United States in late 2024.
Earlier this week, four FEMA employees were fired after being accused of circumventing leadership in order to pay to refund hotel costs for illegal immigrants to New York City.
The fired employees were FEMA’s chief financial officer, two program analysts and one grant expert, according to the Homeland Security Statement.
Elon Musk, the government’s Ministry of Efficiency, wrote in X on Monday that he discovered payments used to house illegal immigrants in “luxury hotels.” Musk blows up FEMA, a part of homeland security, calling payments “awful disobedience.”
Hamilton then said payments were suspended and employees who approved them were responsible.
The FEMA representative administrator said in court documents filed Tuesday that the funds were being curtailed by concerns about “illegal conduct” at the hotel.
New York City Director Brad Lander questioned whether the move was legal and in a case where someone was “allowed to enter your bank account and come back because they changed the political wind.” He said he had never seen it.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
