**Outrage Erupts as FEMA Faces Fund Shortage Amidst Hurricane Season**

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas announced on Wednesday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is facing a critical shortage of funds to cover the remainder of the Atlantic hurricane season. This revelation has sparked widespread anger, particularly due to the fact that the department's emergency funds have been heavily expended this year addressing the ongoing migrant crisis.

Mayorkas, speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while en route to survey hurricane damage in South and North Carolina, stated, "We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have...We do not have the funds. FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season and what is imminent." The news comes as the nation braces for another anticipated hurricane.

Critics have been quick to point out that the Department of Homeland Security allocated $640.9 million this year in FEMA-administered funds to support state and local governments dealing with the surge of asylum seekers. Texas Governor Greg Abbott, a vocal critic of Mayorkas, tweeted, "This is easy. Mayorkas and FEMA – immediately stop spending money on illegal immigration resettlement and redirect those funds to areas hit by the hurricane. Put Americans first."

In the past two years, over $1.4 billion has been disbursed from FEMA-administered programs to assist non-federal entities managing the influx of migrants. Specifically, $780 million was allocated last year via the FEMA Shelter and Services Program and the FEMA Emergency Food and Shelter Program.

In stark contrast, a mere $4 million has been distributed directly to families and individuals impacted by Hurricane Helene, which has caused extensive flooding and resulted in at least 202 deaths across Florida to North Carolina. These funds come from a $10 million FEMA allocation that provides storm victims with grants of $750 for groceries, according to White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre.

President Biden remarked during a briefing on Hurricane Helene's devastation in North Carolina that addressing the storm's aftermath "is going to cost billions of dollars," urging Congress to ensure sufficient resources are provided to affected states. However, this plea has intensified Republican criticism, as Congress is not set to reconvene until after Election Day.

The reallocation of over a billion dollars initially earmarked for disaster relief to migrant housing has incensed several members of Congress. Rep. Jim Jordan of Ohio emphasized, "The Biden-Harris administration took more than a billion tax dollars meant for FEMA disaster relief and used it to house illegal aliens...Now they've abandoned American hurricane victims." Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee echoed a similar sentiment, branding the diversion of funds as "treasonous."

FEMA, so far, has not responded to requests for comment regarding the situation.