{"database": "press", "table": "releases", "rows": [["https://stanton.house.gov/2026/7/icymi-washington-post-arizona-republic-stanton-report-details-redirection-of-fema-resources-to-ice-hurting-disaster-response-efforts", "ICYMI: Washington Post, Arizona Republic: Stanton Report Details Redirection of FEMA Resources to ICE, Hurting Disaster Response Efforts", "2026-07-20", "2026", "2026-07", "Democrat", "House", "AZ", "Greg Stanton", "S001211", "stanton.house.gov", "stanton", "https://stanton.house.gov/press-releases", "scraper", "WASHINGTON, D.C. \u2014 The Washington Post and the Arizona Republic highlighted a new 34-page investigative report led by Ranking Member Greg Stanton (D-Ariz.) of the House Subcommittee on Economic Development, Public Buildings and Emergency Management detailing how the Trump administration diverted Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) personnel and resources away from disaster response to support large-scale immigration enforcement operations, hindering FEMA\u2019s response efforts during a period of significant workforce reductions.\n\nThe full report includes 14 key findings detailing how DHS leadership relied on FEMA to serve as the backbone of large-scale immigration enforcement and detention operations. The report also includes eight recommendations to recall FEMA personnel detailed to ICE and CBP, restore hiring and training programs, and require DHS to reimburse FEMA for immigration enforcement costs.\n\nWashington Post: Assigning FEMA staff to immigration enforcement hurt disaster work, House report says [Brianna Sacks, 7/10/2026]\n\nRead excerpts from the coverage below:\n\nRep. Greg Stanton (Arizona), the subcommittee\u2019s ranking Democrat who led the report, said in an interview that federal law put in place due to failures after Hurricane Katrina was meant to protect FEMA from \u201cpolitics getting in the way of delivering disaster response.\u201d\n\n\u201cI\u2019m very angry about what I learned,\u201d Stanton told the Washington Post. \u201cI think the American people will be pretty shocked and disappointed that the United States is not focused on natural disaster preparation and response, that a third of [FEMA] employees are gone, and some that are left are being used for other purposes, especially supporting an agency that has an ungodly amount of increased resources.\u201d\n\nArizona Republic: FEMA staff deployed to help with mass deportation efforts, report says [Daniel Gonzalez, 7/20/2026]\n\nRead excerpts from the coverage below:\n\nDHS needs to recall all FEMA staff from immigration enforcement details and reimburse FEMA for the amount of time FEMA staff spent assisting ICE and the Border Patrol in immigration enforcement work and replenish the agency's disaster relief fund, the report and Stanton said.\n\nStanton also would like to see FEMA made an independent agency where it no longer would operate \"at the whim\" of the Homeland Security secretary. Kristi Noem was in the job when the diversion of FEMA staff to ICE happened.\n\nIn the meantime, DHS \"needs to get back in the business of making FEMA ready for the purpose for which it was established, which is helping Americans in times of their greatest need when disaster strikes,\" Stanton said. \"They have decimated this agency, and it is not prepared for major natural disasters.\"", 1, "2026-07-21T07:32:02Z", "2026-07-21T07:33:33Z"]], "columns": ["url", "title", "date", "year", "month", "party", "chamber", "state", "member_name", "bioguide_id", "domain", "scraper", "source", "date_source", "text", "has_text", "collected_at", "updated_at"], "primary_keys": ["url"], "primary_key_values": ["https://stanton.house.gov/2026/7/icymi-washington-post-arizona-republic-stanton-report-details-redirection-of-fema-resources-to-ice-hurting-disaster-response-efforts"], "units": {}, "query_ms": 0.736576970666647, "source": "dwillis/congress-press", "source_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press", "license": "MIT", "license_url": "https://github.com/dwillis/congress-press/blob/main/LICENSE"}