Elon Musk accuses FEMA of illegally spending $59M on illegal migrants’ luxury hotel stays: ‘Gross insubordination’

“Gross insubordination,” says Musk

“The @DOGE team just discovered that FEMA sent $59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants,” Musk wrote on X. “Sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President’s executive order.”

Calls for immediate clawback

Musk further insisted that the funds were meant for American disaster relief efforts and should not have been diverted to migrant accommodations.

“That money is meant for American disaster relief and instead is being spent on high-end hotels for illegals! A clawback demand will be made today to recoup those funds,” Musk added.

“The @DOGE team just discovered that FEMA sent $59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants. Sending this money violated the law and is in gross insubordination to the President’s executive order. That money is meant for American disaster relief and instead is being spent on high end hotels for illegals! A clawback demand will be made today to recoup those funds,” Musk wrote on X.

FEMA yet to respond

As of now, FEMA has not issued an official response to Musk’s claims. The agency’s policies regarding the allocation of emergency funds and their use in migrant-related expenditures remain under scrutiny.

Trump criticizes FEMA’s performance

Trump announced on January 24 that he would sign an executive order to begin the process of fundamentally restructuring—or potentially eliminating—the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). While touring hurricane-damaged areas in North Carolina, Trump sharply criticised FEMA’s response efforts.

“FEMA has turned out to be a disaster … I think we recommend that FEMA go away,” Trump said during his visit to communities impacted by Hurricane Helene last year.

Executive Order establishes FEMA review council

Following his remarks, Trump signed an executive order creating a 20-member Federal Emergency Management Agency Review Council. The council has been tasked with recommending “structural changes” to FEMA and exploring ways to “enable national resilience” in disaster management.