100 Republicans voted against FEMA funding during hurricane season, but an attack omits context

As Hurricane Milton barreled toward Florida’s west coast, prominent liberals accused Republican lawmakers of rejecting funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is tasked with disaster relief.

"Why are MAGA Republicans spreading lies about hurricane recovery?" Robert Reich wrote Oct. 8 on Instagram. "Perhaps it is to cover up the fact that just two weeks ago 100 GOP lawmakers voted against additional FEMA funding."

Reich, an economist, served as labor secretary under former President Bill Clinton. He currently is a public policy professor at the University of California, Berkeley, and has a major social media following.

We saw many other social media users making similar claims about GOP lawmakers’ FEMA funding votes, including Vice President Kamala Harris’ presidential campaign account on X. 

Reich’s post was flagged as part of Meta’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed. (Read more about our partnership with Meta, which owns Facebook, Instagram and Threads.) 

A Reich spokesperson confirmed that he was referring to a Sept. 25 vote on a stopgap funding bill to avoid a government shutdown. Reich distorts the nature of the legislation.

That day, Hurricane Helene was churning toward the southeast. Congress voted to provide $20 billion to FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund as part of the bill to fund the government through Dec. 20. President Joe Biden signed the bill Sept. 26.

In the Senate, the bill passed 78-18, with all of the "no" votes from Republicans. In the House, the bill passed 341-82, and again, all of the "no" votes were Republicans. So, Reich’s numbers are correct, as the Republican "no" votes total 100.

In both chambers, some Republicans voted in favor of the bill, including House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana and Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky.

The bill was not only for FEMA funding. It also extended funding through Dec. 20 for programs including Temporary Assistance to Needy Families, military construction projects, veterans services and the National Flood Insurance Program. 

Some lawmakers opposed the stopgap funding bill for reasons unrelated to FEMA funding, and their public statements reflect that.

Republicans who opposed the bill criticized the process or federal spending broadly, or raised concerns about immigration. Here are a few examples:

• Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz’s spokesperson sent us a statement saying Gaetz supported funding FEMA but "the only option presented to me was to fund the entirety of the federal government with one vote" and the "take-it-all or leave-it-all dichotomy is an irresponsible way to fund the federal government."  

• Tennessee Sen. Marsha Blackburn told a Knoxville TV station that she "supports hurricane relief and will fight to ensure Tennesseans receive all federal assistance necessary to rebuild." However, she said she doesn’t support a "reckless spending spree."

• Colorado Rep. Greg Lopez released a statement that said he could not vote for a bill that "would extend the federal government’s current, exorbitant spending levels with no cuts or considerations for the elimination of expired programs." Lopez also wanted the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act attached to the funding bill. The act, which passed the House in July and then stalled, aims to prevent noncitizen voting, although Congress has already banned that practice.

On Sept. 18, a House Republican plan to avert a government shutdown was defeated when Republicans could not agree when the funding should end and what other conditions should be included. Johnson’s plan called for six months’ funding and included the SAVE Act. Similar to Republicans voting against the Sept. 25 funding bill, more than 200 Democrats voted to defeat the bill, and 199 Republicans voted in favor.

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stated on September 30, 2024 in an X post

Photo shows President Joe Biden lounging on the beach "while towns all over America were being wiped out” by Hurricane Helene.

Gregory Koger, a University of Miami political science professor, said both votes were on much broader legislative packages to fund the government, not FEMA funding by itself. 

"In both situations, the key factors in these bills were a) the duration of the extension and b) whether or not the bill would include a new voting restriction imposed weeks before the election," Koger said. 

U.S. Rep. Jared Moskowitz, D-Fla., proposed a standalone bill Oct. 1 that would provide $10 billion to FEMA for Hurricane Helene disaster relief. It has not received a vote. 

Reich said, "Two weeks ago 100 GOP lawmakers voted against additional FEMA funding."

Reich’s claim is partially accurate because Sept. 25, 18 Senate Republicans and 82 House Republicans voted against a stopgap funding bill to avert a government shutdown.

But his  statement leaves out important details. The bill was a much broader funding bill that also included $20 billion for FEMA’s Disaster Relief Fund. Some Republicans said publicly that they opposed the bill for reasons unrelated to FEMA funding.

A week earlier, a Republican majority voted for their own version of a stopgap funding bill that also included FEMA funding. Similar to Republicans voting against the Sept. 25 funding bill, more than 200 Democrats voted no.

We rate this statement Half True.

RELATED: Fact-checking 5 misleading claims about Helene relief efforts in North Carolina