Elon Musk revealed on Monday that his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team uncovered a $59 million allocation by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to luxury hotels in New York City for housing undocumented migrants.
Taking to X (formerly Twitter), Musk claimed that FEMA’s expenditure was unlawful, arguing that the funds were designated for disaster relief rather than high-end accommodations. He further stated that efforts would be made to recover the misused funds.
“The @DOGE team just found out that FEMA allocated $59M last week to luxury hotels in NYC for undocumented migrants. This violates the law and directly contradicts the President’s executive order. That money was meant for American disaster relief…”
This revelation follows an executive order signed by President Donald Trump, which established a council to oversee FEMA amid concerns over potential political bias within the agency.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem confirmed during an interview on CNN’s ‘State of the Union’ that Musk’s DOGE team had access to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data as part of an authorized audit. Noem explained that President Trump had granted Musk’s team access to DHS’s network, which contains sensitive information related to disaster relief beneficiaries.
However, Musk’s involvement in reviewing federal expenditures has sparked controversy, particularly regarding access to confidential data without proper security clearance. Critics have raised privacy concerns, leading to multiple legal challenges. In response, Musk suggested that FEMA itself might face deeper scrutiny, labeling the agency as “broken.” Noem affirmed that she would support potential FEMA reforms if directed by the President.
