Hurricane Helene Becoming Kamala’s Katrina as More US Funds Go to Lebanon than Storm Victims

 

Here are the straight figures. On Saturday, Democratic Presidential Candidate Kamala Harris tweeted:

The people of Lebanon are facing an increasingly dire humanitarian situation. I am concerned about the security and well-being of civilians suffering in Lebanon and will continue working to help meet the needs of all civilians there. To that end, the United States will provide nearly $157 million in additional assistance to the people of Lebanon for essential needs such as food, shelter, water, protection, and sanitation to help those who have been displaced by the recent conflict. This additional support brings total U.S. assistance to Lebanon over the last year to over $385 million.

Harris made her generous announcement following Wednesday’s statement by Alejandro Mayorkas, the Secretary of Homeland Security, that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which falls under his jurisdiction, is experiencing a shortage of funds for the remainder of the hurricane season. And there have been rumors about misappropriations of funds in the agency.

On Saturday: Republican Presidential Candidate Donald Trump asserted that Americans severely affected by Hurricane Helene were missing out on emergency relief funds, as those resources had been allocated to migrants. Trump voiced his indignation over FEMA’s spending more than $640 million on migrant housing.

Trump was right. FEMA was allocated a budget of $640 million by Congress in the previous fiscal year to facilitate housing for immigrants seeking US citizenship.

I mentioned the August 2005 Hurricane Katrina in the headline, because the damage that it caused – $125 billion, combined with the Bush White House’s stunning ineptitude in offering effective support to millions of New Orleans residents, was one of the reasons Democrat Barack Obama won the presidency in 2008.

Here’s why Kamala Harris may be facing a crisis, less than a month ahead of the national elections:

According to USA Today, the financial impact of Helene’s trail of devastation throughout the southeastern United States is anticipated to exceed $30 billion. And while the Vice President proudly announced sending $157 million to the suffering people in Lebanon, the White House announced on Thursday that FEMA had already helped thousands of Hurricane Helene survivors jumpstart their recoveries with more than $20 million in flexible, upfront funding, and to date, FEMA had shipped over 9.3 million meals, more than 11.2 million liters of water, 150 generators and more than 260,000 tarps to the region.

And yet, Secretary Mayorkas said on Wednesday that FEMA cannot carry out its mission in the devastated south-east.

Would the $157 million promised to Lebanon be diverted to FEMA? Could be.

Now, my newspaper, The Jewish Press regularly covers the billions in military aid the US is sending Israel, for which we are grateful. But before you start accusing me of hypocrisy, remember: Israel does not receive cash from the US, but military equipment, made in the US by American workers. Unless you want to send folks in northern Florida a bunch of Iron Dome rockets, you can’t help FEMA with the funds dedicated to arming Israel.

I do not doubt that the administration will find a way to cover the crises both in the south-east and Lebanon. But in terms of election action – advantage Trump.