Florida governor not sweating Trump raid of FEMA funds as Dorian bears down

Aug. 29--Gov. Ron DeSantis remains "confident" in the Federal Emergency Management Agency's ability to help Florida recover from an expected strike by Hurricane Dorian despite plans from President Donald Trump's administration to drain millions of dollars from the disaster recovery agency to pay for immigration enforcement.

Following news this week that the Department of Homeland Security has planned to move $155 million from FEMA to Immigration and Customs Enforcement, DeSantis said Thursday in Miami that he is "confident it's not going to affect Florida in a negative way."

DeSantis, who has issued a state of emergency for 26 Florida counties, said he expects to expand on that order soon now that forecasts have the storm striking Florida on Labor Day as a Category 4 storm. Forecasts from the National Hurricane Center Thursday morning showed the storm could hit anywhere along the state's east coast.

But the governor reiterated his trust in the federal government after speaking late Wednesday with Trump. DeSantis said Trump told him, "Whatever you need, we're good."

"We had been briefed on the whole FEMA controversy. To me, it was more of a political controversy," DeSantis said. "They [FEMA] have a huge amount of money available and there is not going to be any limitation on Florida getting whatever we need to respond to this."

DeSantis' emergency management director, Jared Moskowitz, said in an interview Wednesday that the Trump administration has already proven twice in the past two years that it will financially support the state after a major storm.

The state has pegged the cost for storm damage in Florida from 2017's Hurricane Irma at more than $2.6 billion, leading DeSantis to request 90 percent reimbursement rates earlier this month. Trump said in May that FEMA would also reimburse for 90 percent of the damage caused by Category 5 Hurricane Michael, which hit the Panhandle last year.

"This is the state of Florida. I have full confidence that FEMA is going to give us the full resources we need," said Moskowitz, a South Florida Democrat. "Both for Michael and for Irma, the federal government has given us the dollars we need to both respond and recover."

The expected arrival of Dorian comes amid uproar in Florida's Democratic congressional delegation over news first reported Tuesday by NBC that DHS decided a month ago that it would transfer a total of $271 million from several of its agencies to pay for migrant detention center beds and temporary immigration facilities to conduct hearings for immigrants awaiting U.S. processing in Mexico.

The $155 million to be transferred from FEMA's Disaster Relief Fund will pay for the temporary hearing sites. The Trump administration, which has fought with Congress for more money to fund border security, says the money comes from a pot of "recovered" -- or unused -- dollars from a disaster fund recovery "base" account that funds pre-disaster preparedness and disaster readiness and support programs.

"This transfer of funds to support the border emergency will leave a remaining balance of $447 million in the [disaster recovery fund] base account," a FEMA spokesperson said in a statement. "Based on DHS and FEMA's review of historical emergency spending from the DRF Base account, this amount will be sufficient to support operational needs and will not impact ongoing long-term recovery efforts across the country."

But U.S. Rep. Darren Soto, D-Orlando, said it was "shortsighted and destructive" for DHS to "fleece" FEMA ahead of hurricane season. Soto, who was briefed Wednesday by FEMA on preparations for Hurricane Dorian, said he's also spoken with Moskowitz.

"We call upon President Trump to make a pre-storm FEMA designation of individual need for counties expected to be hit to ensure a speedy recovery," Soto said in a statement.

U.S. Rep. Donna Shalala, D-Miami, called the transfer of funds "irresponsible" and "reckless," while Rep. Debbie Mucarsel-Powell, D-Miami, sent a letter to acting FEMA Director Pete Gaynor Wednesday warning that the decision "to reprogram funds from your agency raises serious questions about FEMA's hurricane preparedness and ability to respond to natural disasters."

U.S. Rep. Debbie Wasserman Schultz, D-Weston, referred to the transfer as "stealing disaster relief funding for cruel immigration activities."

But DeSantis' administration says it trusts the president, given the federal government's acute attention to storm recovery in Trump's part-time home state. Republican Sen. Rick Scott also said he spoke with Trump late Wednesday about the coming hurricane, as well as Vice President Mike Pence.

"I have asked that all resources be available to ensure an efficient and quick recovery and response for our state," Scott tweeted Thursday.

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