Mayorkas doubles down, hammers ‘pernicious’ misinformation amid FEMA criticism

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas connected Wednesday doubled down connected his fierce disapproval of those helium accused of deliberately spreading mendacious accusation astir the enactment the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is doing during hurricane season.

"There is truthful overmuch mendacious accusation being spread, and we cannot person radical relying connected that mendacious accusation oregon really deterred from seeking alleviation that's disposable to them that they request due to the fact that of that mendacious information," Mayorkas said connected "Morning Joe" Wednesday earlier Hurricane Milton made landfall successful Florida Wednesday night. "It's really pernicious."

Mayorkas, on with DHS and FEMA, person been nether unit implicit the handling of Hurricane Helene. The bureau has been pushing backmost against claims online that it has diverted resources to amerciable immigrants, that it is retired of money, that it has been dilatory successful responding and that it is blocking betterment flights. 

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U.S. Secretary of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas speaks astatine the regular property briefing astatine the White House. (Getty Images)

Focus connected the bureau was fueled erstwhile Mayorkas said past week that FEMA does "not person the funds to marque it done the season" though helium said it did person capable for "immediate needs." The medication has pushed for Congress to instrumentality and walk a spending measure to supply further backing for the hurricane season.

But the questions implicit backing led critics to look astatine the $650 cardinal provided for grants to assistance amerciable immigrants successful the Shelter and Services Program (SSP). It led to accusations, including from erstwhile President Trump, that wealth that could person gone to catastrophe alleviation was being diverted. The medication pointed to the information that the backing is congressionally appropriated and is abstracted from the overmuch larger Disaster Relief Fund. But Republicans person inactive expressed concern that an "entanglement" successful the borderline situation has had a knock-on effect.

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A crane sits connected the thoroughfare aft crashing down into the gathering lodging the Tampa Bay Times offices aft the accomplishment of Hurricane Milton Oct. 10, 2024, successful St. Petersburg, Fla. (Spencer Platt/Getty Images)

Others person pointed to a imaginable governmental bias aft an "equity" blueprint went vital, saying "Diversity, equity, and inclusion cannot beryllium optional." 

Republicans person accused the medication of mishandling the effect much broadly, with House Speaker Mike Johnson accusing it of "egregious errors and mistakes" and a deficiency of leadership.

But FEMA and DHS person been pushing backmost against galore viral online claims that it says are false, including claims that FEMA grants indispensable beryllium repaid, that it is distributing assistance based connected demographic characteristics and that it is restricting airspace for betterment operations. 

President Biden has besides slammed "reckless, irresponsible and relentless promotion of disinformation and outright lies that are disturbing people."

On Wednesday, Mayorkas warned that misinformation tin halt betterment efforts.

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"Historically, this state has travel unneurotic arsenic 1 successful times of crisis, successful times of disaster. We request that past to beryllium lived today. We cannot person the irresponsible voices that really wreak harm to individuals successful request and forestall survivors from seeking the alleviation that is disposable to them," helium said.

He had made a akin entreaty connected Tuesday nighttime connected MSNBC, speaking connected the interaction connected the workforce and connected the quality for individuals to get help.

"It is extraordinarily damaging. Most of all, it is extraordinarily damaging to the survivors of Hurricane Helene, of earthy disasters. Individuals suffer spot successful their government, they are reluctant to question the assistance that they request to conscionable their contiguous demands — food, water, shelter. They don't question it. They are entitled to it. They request it," Mayorkas said. "We implore them to disregard the mendacious accusation that is being dispersed and to question the assistance that we person disposable to them.

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"It is besides highly demoralizing to our national law, our exigency effect personnel, the authorities and section emergency effect personnel who are risking their lives successful the work of those successful need. When we scope into flooded zones, erstwhile we scope into a location that has been destroyed to assistance different individual, we don't inquire astir their enactment affiliation. We are determination to help, and they request to recognize that. They request to spot us. They tin trust connected us."

Earlier this week, Mayorkas warned that radical "are not seeking that alleviation due to the fact that of the disinformation, the intentionally mendacious accusation they are receiving."