
US agency spent millions to house illegals in luxury hotels
Elon Musk has accused the US Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) of unlawfully spending $59 million on luxury hotel accommodations for undocumented migrants. He called for the funds to be recovered immediately, insisting that the money should have been allocated for disaster relief instead.
Musk, now one of US President Donald Trump's key advisors and head of the newly created Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), attacked FEMA on X on Monday for allegedly misusing millions of dollars in taxpayer funds to house illegal migrants in high-end hotels in New York City.
'The DOGE team just discovered that FEMA sent $59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants,'
he wrote.
'That money is meant for American disaster relief and instead is being spent on high end hotels for illegals!'
Musk, who as the head of DOGE has taken the lead on seeking ways for the federal government to cut costs and reduce the workforce, called the expenditure a
'gross insubordination'
defying a presidential executive order and said the money would be clawed back.
The billionaire provided no evidence to support his claim, and it was unclear where the $59 million figure came from.
READ MORE:
Trump readies overhaul of US emergency agency
Meanwhile, New York City officials stated that the funds it received for migrant care were appropriated by Congress and allocated to the city by FEMA last year.
Cameron Hamilton, the agency's acting administrator, reposted Musk's comments and said the payments had been suspended as of Sunday.
'I want to thank the DOGE team for making me aware of this,'
Hamilton posted.
'Effective yesterday these payments have all been suspended from FEMA. Personnel will be held accountable.'
FEMA Spokeswoman Liz Garcia told ABC News the city hasn't been informed of any funding pause, adding that reimbursements from the federal government had continued through last week. The matter will be addressed directly with federal officials, she said.
Trump has been vocal about his dissatisfaction with FEMA, even suggesting scrapping it during a recent trip to disaster areas in North Carolina and California. Upon assuming office in January, he signed an executive order establishing a review council to evaluate the agency, citing concerns over its response to recent disasters.
Despite committing nearly $30 billion in disaster aid annually for the past three years, FEMA has left vulnerable Americans without the support they need in critical times, according to Trump.
FEMA, established in 1979, is responsible for coordinating the federal government's response to natural and man-made disasters. The agency has faced criticism over the years for its handling of various emergencies, including Hurricane Katrina in 2005 and Hurricane Maria in 2017.
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles


Russia Today
14 hours ago
- Russia Today
US diverted military aid for Kiev to Middle East
US President Donald Trump's administration has diverted a large military aid package his predecessor promised to Kiev to American forces in the Middle East, Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky has told ABC. The package included thousands of anti-drone missiles Ukraine desperately needs to fight Russia's long-range unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs), he said. The Ukrainian leader raised the issue in an interview with ABC News' Martha Raddatz which aired on Sunday. When asked about the importance of US support, Zelensky admitted that the Ukrainian military was struggling to deal with Russian UAVs on its own. 'We have a lot of problems with these Shaheds,' he said, referring to Russian Geran-2 long-range drones, which Kiev claims to be Shahed-family UAVs allegedly supplied to Moscow by Tehran. Both Russia and Iran have previously denied the allegations. The Ukrainian leader then revealed that Kiev had not received a major aid package it was 'counting on.' Former US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin promised Ukraine 20,000 anti-drone missiles that were based on a 'special technology,' Zelensky claimed. Austin served as the secretary of defense under Trump's predecessor, Joe Biden. '[This] morning, my minister of defense told me that the United States moved them to the Middle East,' Zelensky said, adding that, without the US military assistance, Russia has 'more chances' of winning the war and Ukraine will have 'much more losses.' Earlier this week, the Wall Street Journal reported that the Pentagon was 'redirecting a key anti-drone technology earmarked for Ukraine to American forces' in the Middle East. President Trump has frequently questioned continued military support for Ukraine, and has pushed Moscow and Kiev to reach a peace deal. Earlier this week, he also said that it might be better to let Russia and Ukraine continue fighting 'for a while' before 'pulling them apart.' Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth – a critic of the US involvement in the Ukraine conflict – skipped a NATO meeting this week focused on coordinating military aid to Ukraine, in the first such instance since the conflict escalated in 2022. According to the WSJ, the Trump administration 'inherited' the authority to provide Ukraine with $3.85 billion worth of weapons but has refrained from doing so. Moscow has repeatedly condemned foreign arms shipments to Kiev by arguing that they do not change the course of the conflict, only lead to escalation, and extend human suffering.


Russia Today
2 days ago
- Russia Today
Musk deletes Trump-Epstein post
Elon Musk has deleted an X post claiming that US President Donald Trump's name was in the sealed Jeffrey Epstein files, suggesting that this is the real reason they remain classified. On Thursday, Musk wrote: 'Time to drop the really big bomb: @realDonaldTrump is in the Epstein files. That is the real reason they have not been made public.' He added: 'Have a nice day, DJT! Mark this post for the future. The truth will come out.' In another inflammatory post no longer visible in the entrepreneur's X account, Musk responded 'yes' to a message that said 'Trump should be impeached' and Vice President JD Vance 'should replace him.' The businessman has not commented on the issue yet. Both posts became part of a public feud between Trump and Musk. During last year's election, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX set up and funded a pro-Trump political group, donating over $260 million, and was appointed in January to co-lead the newly established Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), tasked with reducing federal bureaucracy and wasteful spending. Musk stepped down last week. The rift started after the billionaire condemned Trump's massive tax-cut bill, which is estimated to add $2.4 trillion to the $36.2-trillion US debt over 10 years, calling it a 'disgusting abomination.' The US president then threatened to cancel federal contracts with Musk's companies. The clash then escalated into a series of jabs on social media. Musk accused the president of 'ingratitude' and threatened to paralyze the US space program by decommissioning the Dragon spacecraft. Trump, for his part, said that the tech billionaire had gone 'crazy' and claimed that Musk was actually upset because he 'took away his EV Mandate.' Following the feud, Tesla's shares dropped by about 14.2% on Thursday at market close, wiping roughly $152 billion off the value of the company. Trump Media stock also fell 8%. Trump had previously pledged to declassify the Epstein files, and in February, US Attorney General Pam Bondi announced the release of the 'first phase' of documents. However, key materials – including flight logs, client names, and contact lists – have remained under seal, fueling speculation about who could be implicated. Epstein, an investment banker with deep connections to political and business elites, was arrested in July 2019 on federal sex trafficking charges. He died the following month in a New York jail in what was officially ruled a suicide, though his death instantly sparked widespread controversy and conspiracy theories.


Russia Today
2 days ago
- Russia Today
NATO to limit Ukraine discussions to avoid provoking Trump
NATO is going to keep discussions of Ukraine 'short' at its upcoming annual summit in the Netherlands in order to avoid provoking US President Donald Trump, Reuters has reported, citing the organizers of the event. The summit is scheduled to take place in The Hague on June 24 and 25. Ukraine's Vladimir Zelensky, who had once been a regular guest of honor at NATO events following the escalation of the conflict between Moscow and Kiev in February 2022, has not been officially invited to attend yet. The European NATO members are 'desperate to avoid upsetting a volatile Trump' during the summit, Reuters said in an article on Friday. According to the sources, the written statement summarizing the results of the event is expected to be 'unusually short' in order to reduce the chance of disagreements. Whether the document 'will even identify Russia as a threat or express support for Ukraine is still up in the air,' they said. Unlike the two previous years, the leaders of the bloc's member states do not plan to hold a formal meeting of the NATO-Ukraine Council as part of the summit, the officials said. According to a diplomat from the bloc, it could be replaced by a working dinner with either foreign or defense ministers. Another senior NATO diplomat told Reuters that it would be 'at least a PR disaster' if Zelenskiy does not attend the summit in some form. According to the sources, the Ukrainian leader would have to settle for an invitation to a pre-summit dinner, hosted by Dutch King Willem-Alexander. This way, he could travel to The Hague without angering Trump, they explained. The US president, who is trying to broker an end to the fighting between Moscow and Kiev, had previously ruled out the possibility of Ukraine joining NATO. Russia has repeatedly stated that moves towards admitting the country into the bloc would be crossing a red line and have been one of the key reasons for the conflict, insisting that Ukraine should adopt a neutral status as a key condition for a lasting peace. The New York Times reported earlier this week that Trump, who had a public spat with Zelensky at the Oval Office in February, 'reserves special animosity' for the Ukrainian leader and considers him 'a bad guy.'