**White House Denounces GOP's Claims About FEMA's Hurricane Helene Response**

The White House strongly criticized Republicans on Friday for what it describes as deliberate misinformation regarding the federal response to Hurricane Helene. Central to the White House's rebuttal was the claim that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) had exhausted its funds. Senior Deputy Press Secretary Andrew Bates issued a memo asserting that Republicans are spreading "bald-faced lies" about the hurricane clean-up efforts. Bates highlighted that GOP leaders in some of the affected areas, such as Georgia Governor Brian Kemp and South Carolina Governor Henry McMaster, have actually lauded the Biden administration for its prompt response.

Bates’s memo underscored that certain Republican leaders and their allies in the right-wing media are exploiting Hurricane Helene to "lie and divide" the public. Former President Donald Trump intensified these claims during a rally in Michigan on Thursday, accusing the Biden administration of having diverted disaster relief funds to house migrants. Trump stated, "Kamala spent all her FEMA money, billions of dollars, on housing for illegal migrants. Many of whom should not be in our country."

Contradicting these assertions, Bates emphasized, "No disaster relief funding at all was used to support migrants housing and services. None. At. All." He clarified that Congress directly allocates the funding for communities supporting migrants to Customs & Border Protection, which is merely administered by FEMA, and that this is entirely separate from FEMA's disaster response funds.

In terms of financial assistance, Bates pointed out that FEMA has already distributed over $45 million to individuals and families affected by the hurricane, including more than $17 million to North Carolina alone. He further warned that spreading falsehoods can have dire consequences by potentially discouraging people from seeking necessary assistance. "It is paramount that every leader, whatever their political beliefs, stops spreading this poison," Bates warned.

To further quell misinformation, FEMA published a fact-check page on Friday affirming that "no money has been diverted" and confirming sufficient funds for immediate response and recovery needs. President Biden has urged Congress to return from recess to pass additional recovery funding, though both chambers are not scheduled to return until November 12. To bolster the recovery efforts, the Biden administration has deployed over 4,800 federal personnel and authorized the deployment of up to 1,000 troops to assist North Carolina's recovery.

President Biden personally surveyed the hurricane damage in North Carolina on Wednesday, followed by visits to Florida and Georgia on Thursday to meet with local officials. Vice President Kamala Harris traveled to Georgia on Wednesday and plans to visit North Carolina on Saturday. Donald Trump also visited Georgia earlier in the week on Monday.