McALLEN, Texas (Border Report) — A South Texas lawmaker who sits on the House Appropriations Committee says federal funding for a program that reimburses municipalities and nonprofits for migrant assistance is at a real risk of not being funded by Congress under the new Trump administration.
U.S. Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, a senior member on the House Homeland Security Appropriations Committee, on Friday said during a Town Hall meeting in response to a question from Border Report, that current proposed funding is “zero dollars” in the House for the FEMA Shelter and Services Program.
The program was among 2,600 programs that Cuellar said would have lost federal funds under a memorandum issued Monday by the Office of Management and Budget to pause and suspend funding for federal financial assistance programs.
The White House, however, later this week rescinded that order.
Nevertheless, Cuellar said current funding proposals for the program in the Republican-led House are to not fund the proposal. But he said Senate lawmakers have proposed to fund it at $600 million for Fiscal Year 2025.
Lawmakers are still debating funding of government programs for Fiscal Year 2025, which began on Oct. 1. The government is operating after Congress on Dec. 20 passed a Continuing Resolution to keep federal agencies funded and to extend federal spending through March 14.
“Under the current appropriation bill. There is zero dollars on the House side for this program, because Republicans feel that this is a continuation of a coyote system. That is the coyotes bring people to the border, and then the non-for-profits use that money for transportation … for folks who end up in New York, Chicago and other places. That’s their thinking: That it is a continuation of the coyote so they have targeted this program,” Cuellar said at the town hall held Friday at Laredo City Hall, which also was broadcast online.
Cuellar says if Congress passes another Continuing Resolution then funding levels will likely stay the same. If they pass an Appropriations bill then funding levels could change. However he doesn’t believe it will stay anywhere near recent past funding levels.
“Will it be at $800 million? I don’t think so. But I think there will be a lot of negotiations,” he said.
Cuellar sponsored legislation in 2014 to reimburse cities, counties and nonprofits for humanitarian work helping immigrants. The program began with $30 million. In Fiscal Year 2024, total funding was $650 million, according to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, which is under the Department of Homeland Security.
Organizations in South Texas that assist migrants and rely on this federal funding include Catholic Charities Rio Grande Valley, Team Brownsville, Mission Border Hope, in Eagle Pass, the Holding Institute, in Laredo, and Catholic Charities of San Antonio.
Allocations in Fiscal Year 2024 for the FEMA Shelter and Services Program included:
- Catholic Charities Rio Grande Valley: $7.4 million.
- City of McAllen: $3.9 million.
- City of El Paso: $2.09 million.
- City of Brownsville: $1.9 million
- Team Brownsville: $360,000.
- Mission Border Hope, Eagle Pass: $12 million.
- Holding Institute, Laredo: $2.5 million.
- El Paso County: $4.5 million.
- Catholic Diocese of El Paso: $150,000
- Catholic Charities, Diocese of San Diego: $19.6 million
- Catholic Charities San Antonio: $10.8 million
- Catholic Charities, Diocese of Laredo: $1.6 million
Catholic Charities RGV Executive Director Sister Norma Pimentel told KVEO on Thursday that if funding is cut off, her organization will rely on volunteers and donations to continue its humanitarian work.
“We definitely will always stay afloat, because we what we operate is the care of our community that come together as one to care for people who need our help,” Pimentel said.
The nonprofit operates the Humanitarian Respite Center in downtown McAllen, which has helped over 500,000 migrants over the past 10 years.
Sandra Sanchez can be reached at SSanchez@BorderReport.com.
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