Republican Officials Counter MAGA Lies About Storm Aid

Trump and MAGA seek to use another tragedy for personal gain

Right-wing media and social media across all platforms has pushed out a firehose of lies about the federal response to provide relief to those who suffered devastating losses in the recent storm.

Donald Trump and his MAGA allies view this as a golden opportunity to stop Kamala Harris's momentum in North Carolina and Georgia - two of the states hardest hit by the storm. They have spread one lie after another about it, but those lies run counter to the public statements of state officials on the ground in distressed areas, many of whom are Republicans. 

Here are some examples of statements that these officials have said about the federal response:

Georgia Governor Brian Kemp: “Earlier today, I spoke to @POTUS and thanked him for visiting our state and for adding counties to the disaster declaration list. I also pushed for more counties to be added and for additional support as we work day and night to recover from the devastating impacts of Helene.” [X]

South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster: “[Ongoing Federal assistance for South Carolina] has been superb. … We are getting assistance and we are asking for everything we need.” [Press Conference]

Tennessee Governor Bill Lee: “And you see this rush of local officials, TEMA, FEMA, from the federal to the state to the local, the local emergency management agencies, local county mayors with tears in their eyes out there serving their people. There is a great deal of hope when you see what is behind the effort, the coordinated effort, in this community to begin to rebuild.” [Press Conference]

North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper: And Mr. President, we know that we've made a lot of asks of you and we're grateful for your and for your actions.” [WJZY]

Senator Lindsey Graham: “This is an incredible experience for me. So, to President Biden, thank you for coming. Thank you for paying attention to our needs. And we have had a good working relationship between the federal government.” [Press Conference]

North Carolina Congresswoman Deborah Ross: “I am incredibly grateful for the surge in federal resources our state is receiving to help Western NC recover and rebuild.” [X]

Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer: “We are seeing incredible help from the Federal government to the state, to private sector and nonprofit and faith-based organizations, everybody pouring in with their help.” [MSNBC]

Canton, North Carolina Mayor Zeb Smathers: “It is true that state, federal & local partners are leading a massive, coordinated response to a catastrophic storm and we are thankful for it…” [X]

Tampa Mayor Jane Castor: “The federal response has been nothing short of amazing. President Biden sent in the resources for the Hillsborough County area that we're in. I actually got a personal call from Vice President Harris yesterday, wanting to know if there was anything that we needed in our area. So we've been very fortunate in a local level, state level, federal level, and getting the resources that we need.” [CNN].

One NC Republican State Representative addressed many of the most popular lies being spread constantly by members of his own party:

The Lie That There Is No Money Available Because It Was All Spent on Migrants:

FEMA has had to continue to put out statements debunking lies being spread by right-wingers about aid that is available, which has caused people who have lost everything even more stress. One of the most despicable lies is that there is no FEMA aid available because all of it has been spent on migrants. This is a bold face lie. The White House issued the following statement in response to this false claim:

No disaster relief funding at all was used to support migrants housing and services. None. At. All. In fact, the funding for communities to support migrants is directly appropriated by Congress to CBP, and is merely administered by FEMA. The funding is in no way related to FEMA’s response and recovery efforts.

FEMA has the funds it needs for immediate response and recovery efforts for Hurricane Helene. In fact, FEMA has been able to provide over $45 million in direct financial assistance to individuals and families affected by Hurricane Helene, including over $17 million to those recovering and rebuilding in North Carolina.

To be clear: the Biden-Harris Administration has sought additional disaster funds for a year to ensure that FEMA has the resources it needs in the face of increasingly frequent severe weather events across the country. We’re glad to see Congressional Republicans finally joining our calls. By the way, if Republican officials are serious about securing our border and fixing our broken immigration system, they should pass the historic bipartisan border security agreement that was negotiated earlier this year.

Unfortunately, our country has seen the dangerous consequences of peddling falsehoods. In fact, disinformation of this kind can discourage people from seeking critical assistance when they need it most. It is paramount that every leader, whatever their political beliefs, stops spreading this poison.

President Biden and Vice President Harris are focused on bringing people together – and helping communities impacted by Hurricane Helene.

The Lie That FEMA Is Only Providing $750 Per Person in Aid:

Another lie is that people in distressed areas are only going to receive $750 each from FEMA and that is all the assistance they will get. That is another fiction being spread all over social media, led by people like JD Vance and Donald Trump, Jr.. They are referring to a statement Harris made encouraging people to request that initial rapid cash payment, which is the max allowed under the law. That is merely intented a cover immediate needs like a short term amount of food or gas.

However, that is only a tiny part of the assistance that is being provided. The rest of Harris's statement, which was cut out of clips being shared on right-wing social media, is the following: "FEMA is also providing tens of thousands more dollars for folks to help them be able to deal with home repair, to be able to cover a deductible when and if they have insurance, and also hotel costs." 

The White House also put out a press release making it clear that a massive amount more in assistance has already been provided with much more on the way:

As search and rescue, power restoration and communications capability remain top priorities throughout the Southeast, FEMA has already helped thousands of Hurricane Helene survivors jumpstart their recoveries with more than $10 million in flexible, upfront funding.

More than 4,800 personnel from across the federal workforce are deployed and more than 1,000 are from FEMA. To date, FEMA has shipped over 8.8 million meals, more than 7.4 million liters of water, 150 generators and more than 225,000 tarps to the region.

People with damage to their homes or personal property who live in the designated counties should apply for assistance, which may include upfront funds to help with essential items like food, water, baby formula and other emergency supplies. Funds may also be available to repair storm-related damage to homes and personal property, as well as assistance to find a temporary place to stay.

The Lie That Supplies from Charities Are Being Confiscated by FEMA

This is being spread my multiple sources on the right and amplified by Elon Musk to his 200 million followers. One Republican Mayor, who was also a legendary WWE wrester who went by the name ‘Kane,’ addressed this lie being pushed by his own party:

Elon Musk, as usual, has been one of the worst spreaders of these lies. And he has rigged the algorithm on twitter to amplify the lies. Democrats must continue to avail themselves of every alternative platform possible, including Twitter, to counter the Trump narrative on this. We are doing our best to do our part. The media must as well. Democrats cannot allow this false narrative to take hold, although it already has to some extent.

The disinformation about migrants in Ohio was effectively countered with an early and aggressive response. The same must be done now on this issue. 

But we need your help.