FEMA Director Addresses Misinformation: Calls It a ‘Truly dangerous narrative’
Deanne Criswell expressed strong disapproval when she stated, “It's frankly ridiculous, and just plain false. This kind of rhetoric is not helpful to people.”
TroibNews 
FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell addressed misinformation about the agency's funding on Sunday, particularly related to Donald Trump’s unfounded claims that funds for undocumented immigrants have undermined hurricane relief efforts. She described this narrative as a “truly dangerous narrative."
“It's frankly ridiculous, and just plain false. This kind of rhetoric is not helpful to people,” Criswell stated during an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “This Week.” “It's really a shame that we're putting politics ahead of helping people, and that's what we're here to do. We have had the complete support of the state.”
Criswell highlighted that local officials have been instrumental in countering this harmful narrative, which is generating apprehension about reaching out for help or registering for assistance.
The misleading claims have been propagated by Trump and Ohio Senator JD Vance, who have asserted that funding for undocumented immigrants has resulted in diminished resources for Americans affected by hurricanes—a claim that FEMA and local officials have consistently refuted. These claims are part of a broader spectrum of increasingly strange conspiracy theories currently circulating, including one alleging that Hurricane Helene was orchestrated to facilitate lithium mining by displacing the population, and another from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene suggesting that an unidentified “they” sent Helene to target Trump supporters in the area.
In the interview, Criswell confirmed that FEMA possesses all necessary resources, noting that many were reallocated before Hurricane Helene made landfall. She emphasized that FEMA staff are working closely with state and local officials to ensure that resources are efficiently distributed where they are needed, particularly as another tropical storm is expected to approach Florida this week.
Stephanopoulos mentioned the viral nature of these claims online, highlighting a post suggesting that a militia should confront FEMA, which garnered more than half a million views.
"It has a tremendous impact on the comfort level of our own employees to be able to go out there, but it's also demoralizing to all of the first responders that have been out there in their communities, helping people. FEMA staff, volunteers, the private sector that are working side by side with local officials to go out and help people,” Criswell remarked when discussing the online impact of these claims.
She added, “I need to make sure I can get the resources to where they’re needed, and when you have this dangerous rhetoric like you're hearing, it creates fear in our own employees, and we need to make sure we're getting help to the people who need it."
On CBS' "Face the Nation," Senator Thom Tillis dismissed the notion that his state was lacking necessary resources due to immigration issues and expressed confidence in Congress approving additional funding.
"We have the resources that we need; we're going to have to go back and pass more resources," Tillis stated. "We could have a discussion about the failure of this administration's border policies and the billions of dollars it is costing. But right now, not yet is it affecting the flow of resources to North Carolina."
Navid Kalantari contributed to this report for TROIB News
“It's frankly ridiculous, and just plain false. This kind of rhetoric is not helpful to people,” Criswell stated during an interview with George Stephanopoulos on ABC’s “This Week.” “It's really a shame that we're putting politics ahead of helping people, and that's what we're here to do. We have had the complete support of the state.”
Criswell highlighted that local officials have been instrumental in countering this harmful narrative, which is generating apprehension about reaching out for help or registering for assistance.
The misleading claims have been propagated by Trump and Ohio Senator JD Vance, who have asserted that funding for undocumented immigrants has resulted in diminished resources for Americans affected by hurricanes—a claim that FEMA and local officials have consistently refuted. These claims are part of a broader spectrum of increasingly strange conspiracy theories currently circulating, including one alleging that Hurricane Helene was orchestrated to facilitate lithium mining by displacing the population, and another from Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene suggesting that an unidentified “they” sent Helene to target Trump supporters in the area.
In the interview, Criswell confirmed that FEMA possesses all necessary resources, noting that many were reallocated before Hurricane Helene made landfall. She emphasized that FEMA staff are working closely with state and local officials to ensure that resources are efficiently distributed where they are needed, particularly as another tropical storm is expected to approach Florida this week.
Stephanopoulos mentioned the viral nature of these claims online, highlighting a post suggesting that a militia should confront FEMA, which garnered more than half a million views.
"It has a tremendous impact on the comfort level of our own employees to be able to go out there, but it's also demoralizing to all of the first responders that have been out there in their communities, helping people. FEMA staff, volunteers, the private sector that are working side by side with local officials to go out and help people,” Criswell remarked when discussing the online impact of these claims.
She added, “I need to make sure I can get the resources to where they’re needed, and when you have this dangerous rhetoric like you're hearing, it creates fear in our own employees, and we need to make sure we're getting help to the people who need it."
On CBS' "Face the Nation," Senator Thom Tillis dismissed the notion that his state was lacking necessary resources due to immigration issues and expressed confidence in Congress approving additional funding.
"We have the resources that we need; we're going to have to go back and pass more resources," Tillis stated. "We could have a discussion about the failure of this administration's border policies and the billions of dollars it is costing. But right now, not yet is it affecting the flow of resources to North Carolina."
Navid Kalantari contributed to this report for TROIB News
