Oregon Democratic Sen. Jeff Merkley went public with a document that he claimed was proof that the Department of Homeland Security had diverted some $10 million in funding from FEMA to ICE.
Sen. Merkley revealed the information on MSNBC Tuesday evening on “The Rachel Maddow Show.”
BREAKING: Dept. of Homeland Security requested $9.8M out of FEMA budget to fund ICE detention and deportation programs for immigrants, according to document obtained by Sen. Jeff Merkley. pic.twitter.com/bWxIdcV4xx
— MSNBC (@MSNBC) September 12, 2018
The information was presented in such a way that it appeared as though funding designated for disaster relief was being funneled away even as the massive Hurricane Florence was charging toward the Carolinas.
As #HurricaneFlorence bears down, I discovered today that the Trump Administration is taking money away from @FEMA so that they can pay to put more asylum seekers in detention centers. This is a scandal. pic.twitter.com/XRj928RIaD
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) September 12, 2018
FEMA responded, stating that no money was actually being taken away from disaster relief — rather, it was taken from “routine operating expenses,” and due to limitations on certain appropriations, “could not have been used for hurricane response.”
Under no circumstances was any disaster relief funding transferred from @fema to immigration enforcement efforts. This is a sorry attempt to push a false agenda at a time when the administration is focused on assisting millions on the East Coast facing a catastrophic disaster.
— Tyler Q. Houlton (@SpoxDHS) September 12, 2018
The money in question — transferred to ICE from FEMA’s routine operating expenses — could not have been used for hurricane response due to appropriation limitations. DHS/FEMA stand fiscally and operationally ready to support current and future response and recovery needs.
— Tyler Q. Houlton (@SpoxDHS) September 12, 2018
NEW: DHS official says the FEMA funds transferred to ICE were set to EXPIRE on September 30 and were SAVINGS from the “operational” account. The operational account could not have been used for disaster relief https://t.co/cK63twI5Lz pic.twitter.com/Zrfb4BZE2Z
— Saagar Enjeti (@esaagar) September 12, 2018
Merkley continued pressing the narrative, however, appearing on CNN’s “New Day” on Wednesday morning with the same story.
Joining @CNN @NewDay shortly to talk about this latest outrageous action of the Trump admin — taking funds away from @FEMA during hurricane season to pay for immigration detention. https://t.co/guhKt4hFHh
— Senator Jeff Merkley (@SenJeffMerkley) September 12, 2018
FEMA responded once again, saying that a call to Merkley’s office — with the intent of correcting the record — had resulted in dismissal. “We were told ‘It’s a TV hit, you take it where you can,'” FEMA spokesperson Jenny Burke tweeted. “Regardless of the facts?”
After calling @SenJeffMerkley staff to inform them of the facts surrounding @FEMA budget we were told “It’s a TV hit, you take it where you can” – regardless of the facts?
— Jenny Burke (@FEMAspox) September 12, 2018
What Merkley failed to mention — in any interview — was the fact that the document he showed details which part of FEMA’s budget the money transferred was designated to come from.
“FEMA will curtail training, travel, public engagement sessions, IT security support and infrastructure maintenance, and IT investments in the legacy grants systems for transition to the Grants Management Modernization Program,” CNN reports from a copy of the document.
The money that was transferred, just under $9.8 million, accounts for less than 1 percent of FEMA’s total budget of over $1 billion.
Neither the office of Sen. Jeff Merkley nor “The Rachel Maddow Show” responded to requests for comment on this issue.
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