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"We have a lot of resources, both monetary, personnel and raw materials, to respond to the storm," said Jeff Byard, Associate Administrator of FEMA's Office and Response and Recovery. "We have a lot of resources to react, a lot of resources to recover, that has had no impact on our situation."
FEMA Administrator Brock Long also emphasized that the funding provided to ICE did not come from the disaster relief fund.
Asked if the movement of funds affected the preparations for a storm, Long told ABC News: "No, not at all. It's just an attempt to divert attention from Florence's security issues. behind me and on the ground, so that's a no-problem for us right now. "
Oregon Democratic Senator Jeff Merkley on Tuesday released a document showing the transfer, accusing the administration of President Donald Trump of diverting funds from hurricane assistance as the hurricane season began.
However, the Department of Homeland Security's document specifically mentions that the money would come from the agency's budgets for travel, training, public engagement and work on the technologies of the agency. ;information. The ministry denies that the money came from disaster relief funds.
FEMA spokeswoman Jenny Burke criticized Merkley, who appeared in the media to discuss the document.
CNN received a copy of the Merkley office document. It details the effects that the transfer would have on FEMA operations and where the money would come from in the budget.
"FEMA will reduce training, travel, public engagement sessions, support for IT security and infrastructure maintenance, and IT investments in legacy grant systems for the transition to the Modern Management Agenda." grants".
The document shows that the amount transferred from FEMA to ICE represents less than 1% of FEMA's overall budget. The FEMA budget was originally $ 1.03 billion and the amount transferred was about $ 9.755 million.
The document confirms that the money would be spent on places of detention of ICE.
"Without the transfers and reprogramming identified in this notification, ICE will not be able to meet its adult detention requirements in FY 2018," the document says.
The answer
Homeland Security press secretary Tyler Houlton also said DHS had not transferred the disaster relief funds from FEMA.
"Under no circumstances have disaster relief funds been transferred from @fema to the crackdown on immigration," Houlton said on Twitter. "This is an unfortunate attempt to push a fake agenda at a time when the administration is focusing on helping millions of people on the East Coast face a catastrophic disaster."
He added: "The money in question – transferred to ICE from FEMA's current operating expenses – could not have been used to respond to hurricanes because of budget restrictions." DHS / FEMA is financially and operationally ready. "
Legislators were informed of the decision to pay in late July.
Arizona Democratic Representative Ruben Gallego told CNN at the conclusion of a meeting between DHS Secretary Kirstjen Nielsen and the Congress Hispanic Caucus on July 25.
"Overall, the meeting was long on excuses and misrepresentations and short of information and solutions … one thing we know, they take 1% of each EDS department and that for family and family separation ". I said.
CNN's Tal Kopan contributed to this report.
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