The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is freezing funding for several programs despite a federal judge telling President Donald J. Trump’s administration not to. On Monday, Stacey Street, the director of FEMA’s Office of Grant Administration, issued a directive halting funding for multiple grant programs.
The directive calls for freezing all open awards from fiscal years 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024. The action allegedly violates a court order by U.S. District Judge John J. McConnell, who claims that federal grants are being blocked contrary to his earlier restraint.
Amid these events, four FEMA officials have been dismissed. Tricia McLaughlin, spokeswoman for the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), attributed the dismissals to unauthorized financial decisions linked to New York grants. She indicated these payments were for luxurious accommodations for migrants in hotels, contravening one of President Trump’s executive orders.
Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) chief Elon Musk criticized FEMA via social media, alleging misuse of funds in temporary housing programs for migrants. He reported that $59 million had been improperly allocated for high-end hotel rooms for migrants, which should have supported American disaster relief efforts.
Under the former Biden-Harris regime, FEMA spent around a billion dollars on housing migrants. This led to the agency demanding extra funds for “disaster relief” last year.