Vance is a no-nonsense politician. He’s not going to let the Deep State in Washington, D.C. win.
And Vice President Vance doesn’t hold back in exposing corruption in this government agency.
VP JD Vance Criticizes FEMA for Delayed Hurricane Helene Aid
Vice President JD Vance has taken the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to task for failing to swiftly allocate relief funds to victims of Hurricane Helene, which devastated Virginia, North Carolina, and other states late last September. Speaking in Damascus, Virginia, alongside Republican Governor Glenn Youngkin, Vance highlighted the gap between congressional action and FEMA’s response, saying billions of dollars authorized for hurricane recovery remain largely undistributed.
Vance, 40, accused FEMA of “holding up some of the aid here,” pointing to the stark disparity between the $4 billion earmarked for hurricane relief and the mere $47 million distributed so far. Many of the affected residents, he noted, lacked vital flood insurance, exacerbating their financial hardships.
“The thing that I heard most when I was in western North Carolina before the inauguration,” Vance stated, “is that there are people who wanted to put trailers or other temporary housing in particular areas of western North Carolina, but they couldn’t because FEMA had designated these particular areas to be ineligible for the type of assistance that would allow people to put that temporary housing in the first place.”
He called this an example of a broken federal response, a sentiment he shared just days after President Trump signed an executive order to review FEMA’s performance.
The financial shortfall facing hurricane victims is stark. Vance pointed out that homeowners in Virginia who lost their properties have received about $42,000 to rebuild, despite damages per structure averaging $130,000.
“That’s a massive, you know, 80-$90,000 shortfall that we need to make sure that other parts of the federal government are fixing,” the vice president said.
Governor Youngkin has proposed a $127 million state disaster assistance fund as part of his budget amendment, while also seeking $4.4 billion in federal aid.
President Trump recently visited flood-ravaged areas of western North Carolina, where victims used his presidential podium to air grievances against insurance companies.
One man, a grandfather from Swannanoa, shared how his family home sank in the floodwaters, leaving him to live in a camper donated by a nonprofit. “If you all notice, I’m a big guy, I don’t sleep in campers very well,” he explained. “It’s tough. I think we’re at a point in Asheville where people just forgot about Asheville and it’s sad, everything has stopped.”
In response to mounting frustrations, Senator Josh Hawley (R-Mo.) has called for hearings to investigate claims that insurance companies are failing to adequately compensate hurricane victims.
Vance, who toured Damascus with Youngkin last October before being elected vice president, met with local business owners, emergency responders, state lawmakers, and the town’s mayor last week.
He praised the community’s resilience while lamenting the lack of federal support. “As you all know, I love the Appalachian region of our country, especially this particular part. It’s beautiful,” the vice president said. “The people are kind and friendly, and they’ve got a great community here, but obviously got slammed very hard by the hurricane.”
“While the people have done an incredible job of rebuilding this community, they have not had a federal government that’s really been on their side,” Vance continued.
He shared stories of federal agencies acting as roadblocks rather than facilitators, calling the lack of action unacceptable.
“I think the country has decided collectively that we want to help the regions of our country that were devastated by this flood,” he added. “So why are the bureaucrats not doing the American people’s will?”
As pressure mounts on FEMA and insurance companies to deliver, Vance’s sharp criticism reflects the frustrations of countless communities still waiting for relief.
Stay tuned to The Federalist Wire.
