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Fact Check
Trump�s False Claims About the Federal Response to Hurricane Helene
The former president falsely accused the Biden administration of spending disaster funding on migrants, neglecting areas that had voted for
Republicans and ignoring a call from a Republican governor.

Former President Donald J. Trump, wearing a blue suit, a red tie and a red
Make America Great Again hat, stands in front of a destroyed brick building with a crowd behind him.
Former President Donald J. Trump on Monday at a furniture store in
Valdosta, Ga., destroyed by Hurricane Helene.Credit...Doug Mills/The New
York Times
Linda Qiu
By Linda Qiu
Reporting from Washington
Oct. 4, 2024, 6:54 p.m. ET
After Hurricane Helene battered several Southeastern states last week,
former President Donald J. Trump wasted no time in criticizing President
Biden and Vice President Kamala Harris for the federal government�s
response � often making false accusations.
Mr. Trump�s supporters, including Elon Musk and Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee, have seized on the claims, parroting his talking
points to undercut the administration.
Here�s a fact check of Mr. Trump�s recent remarks.
What Was Said
�Kamala spent all her FEMA money, billions of dollars, on housing for
illegal migrants.�
� Mr. Trump at a rally in Michigan on Thursday
False. Funding for migrant shelters did not amount to �billions of
dollars,� nor did it deplete the coffers of the Federal Emergency
Management Agency. And no disaster funding has been spent on those
shelters.
FEMA, like all other federal agencies, receives funding from Congress for specific functions. Its disaster relief fund received almost $36 billion in funding for the 2024 fiscal year, which ended in September. Outside that
fund, FEMA also received more than $5 billion for its National Flood
Insurance Program; more than $1.5 billion for personnel, procurement and facilities; and almost $4 billion for federal grant programs it
administers.
Mr. Trump�s allies have specifically focused on one of those initiatives,
the Shelter and Services Program. Created in 2023 by Congress, the program doles out grants to groups and localities that provide shelter and other services to migrants released from the custody of the Department of
Homeland Security, which FEMA is a part of. Its $650 million in funding for
the 2024 fiscal year came from Customs and Border Protection�s budget. That amount is equal to less than 2 percent of the disaster relief funding and
even less compared with FEMA�s total funding for that fiscal year.
In other words, the shelter program and the disaster relief fund have two separate streams of funding. A spokeswoman from FEMA also said the Biden administration has never diverted any disaster relief funding for migrant shelters or any other purpose, adding that the claims from Mr. Trump and
others are �completely false.�
Officials have said that there is enough money to address immediate rescue- and-recovery needs that arise from Hurricane Helene�s destruction, but
cleanup could cost billions more and FEMA does not have enough funding for additional storms.
In late September, President Biden signed into law short-term funding that extended 2024 fiscal year funding levels through Dec. 20. It specifically
gave FEMA access to a full year�s worth of disaster relief funding. In a
news conference on Wednesday, Alejandro N. Mayorkas, the homeland security secretary, acknowledged that FEMA could �dip into funds that are slated for
the duration of the year to meet immediate needs.�
�But that doesn�t speak about the future and the fact, as I mentioned
earlier, that these extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and severity, and we have to be funded for the sake of the American people,� he added. �This is not a political issue.�
Moreover, it is unclear how much funding earmarked for migrant shelters
FEMA could legally divert for disaster relief, at least without
congressional approval. The funding package for the 2024 fiscal year, and
in turn the short-term funding extension, specifies that funding dedicated
to homeland security cannot be repurposed in a way that augments or reduces funding for existing programs by 10 percent.
What Was Said
�I�ll be there shortly, but don�t like the reports that I�m getting about
the Federal Government, and the Democrat Governor of the State, going out
of their way to not help people in Republican areas.�
� Mr. Trump in a post on Truth Social on Monday
This lacks evidence. While some have criticized the federal response and emergency responders faced obstacles in reaching some areas, there is no evidence that the Biden administration was purposefully ignoring the needs
of Republican areas. In fact, Republican governors have praised the Biden administration for its response, and FEMA has designated counties in
several states � including dozens won by Mr. Trump in the 2020 presidential election � as eligible to apply for federal assistance.
The Republican governors of Virginia, South Carolina and Tennessee have all thanked the federal government and described the federal response as fast.
Gov. Brian Kemp of Georgia, also a Republican, said that FEMA had been
embedded in the state operations center in Atlanta since before the storm
hit and �we got a great relationship with them.�
FEMA has said it has deployed more than 1,000 personnel across the affected areas to deliver more than 1.9 million meals, over one million liters of
water, 30 generators and more than 95,000 tarps.
Of more than 20 counties designated in Florida as eligible for individual
and public assistance, as of Oct. 3, Mr. Trump lost just three in the 2020 election (Leon, Pinellas and Hillsborough). Of more than 20 in North
Carolina, as of Oct. 2, Mr. Trump lost just two (Buncombe and Watauga). And
of about 15 counties in South Carolina, as of Sept. 29, Mr. Trump lost just
one (Bamberg).
What Was Said
�He�s been calling the president, hasn�t been able to get him.�
� Mr. Trump at a news conference on Monday
False. Mr. Trump was referring to Mr. Kemp, who earlier that day spoke
about his phone call on Sunday with Mr. Biden.
Mr. Kemp said that when Mr. Biden initially reached out on Sunday, he
missed the call but he �called him right back.�
�He just said, �Hey, what do you need?� And I told him: �You know, we got
what we need. We�ll work through the federal process.� He offered that if there�s other things we need, just to call him directly, which I appreciate that,� Mr. Kemp added.

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XPost: wash.everett.general, talk.politics.misc, alt.abortion
XPost: sac.politics, alt.war.civil.usa

https://www.heraldnet.com/wp-content/uploads/2023/11/34601138_web1_L1-231122-EDH-CurranSentencing-1024x683.jpg

EVERETT — A former Everett paraeducator, in custody on allegations of killing his girlfriend, was sentenced to five years in prison Tuesday on separate child sex abuse charges.

After a bench trial that lasted a matter of minutes, Snohomish County Superior Court Judge Anna Alexander found John Curran guilty Tuesday of third-degree rape of a child and third-degree child molestation.

Curran, 41, was a former volunteer volleyball coach at the Boys & Girls Club. He also worked as a special needs educator at Everett High School.

From December 2019 to the summer of 2020, Curran sexually assaulted a teenage girl multiple times while on field trips or at his home, according to court documents. In 2021, Snohomish County prosecutors charged Curran with sexual assault. Earlier this
year, prosecutors added another charge of third-degree child molestation.

At the time, prosecutors did not object to Curran remaining out of custody. Third-degree rape of a child is not classified as a violent offense under state law.

Under state guidelines, there is a “presumption of release” unless a judge determines the defendant is likely to commit a violent crime, seek to intimidate witnesses, or otherwise “unlawfully interfere with the administration of justice.” Curran
did not have a conviction history or a record of failing to appear in court.

The girl reported Curran would “threaten” her if she told anybody about what happened, according to the charges.

However, there was almost a year gap between the initial investigation and when police referred the case to the prosecutor’s office for a charging decision. During that time, there was no record of Curran continuing to harass the girl, deputy
prosecutor Michael Boska said Tuesday. Under these circumstances, it would be unusual for a judge to accept a request for bail, he said.

“If we could go back and do it all over again, knowing he would do something like this, we would,” Boska said in an interview. “We can’t go treat every offender like they’ll go out and murder someone, or everyone would be in jail.”

On Sept. 29, as he awaited a bench trial, Curran was arrested in Seattle for allegedly killing his girlfriend.

Two weeks later, King County prosecutors charged Curran with second-degree murder.

After Alexander found Curran guilty, deputy prosecutor Michael Boska argued there was a “preponderance of evidence” that Curran had committed a new criminal offense prior to his bench trial.

While conceding the case law “is a little bit unclear,” Boska argued the new murder charges, as well as a judge’s finding of probable cause after his arrest, show Curran violated the judge’s pretrial orders.

Curran agreed to certain stipulations by moving forward with a bench trial.

“If I am convicted of any new crimes before sentencing, or if any additional criminal history is discovered, both the standard sentence range and the prosecuting attorney’s recommendation may increase,” he agreed in court documents.

Curran’s defense attorney, John Chase, objected to admitting the evidence from the murder case. Chase argued that, without an evidentiary hearing that includes live testimony, Curran’s due process rights would be violated.

Alexander accepted the prosecutor’s evidence, ruling Curran violated the agreement. The finding increased the prosecutor’s sentencing recommendation to five years, the maximum sentence for third-degree rape of a child under state law.

In January 2022, King County prosecutors also charged Curran with third-degree rape of a child in connection with alleged abuse of the same victim. That case has a trial date set for February 2024.

In court Tuesday, the victim’s father spoke on behalf of his daughter, now 18.

“When I think about the worst things that happened to me in my life,” the woman wrote in a letter to the court, “I realize that almost all of them have happened to me because of this man.”

She knew she needed help, but worried about telling anyone. Curran had told her if anyone got him sent to jail, he would have that person killed, the father testified in court. Recounting what Curran did only made her feel more afraid, as she had to
relive the events again and again, she wrote in the letter.

Chase said Curran was also abused as a child. After the loss of his brother early in his adult life, his drug and alcohol use increased, contributing to his behavior.

Curran declined to speak in court.

A trial in the murder case is tentatively set for Dec. 18.

https://www.heraldnet.com/news/murder-suspect-sentenced-for-child-sex-abuse-charges-in-everett/

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