Elon Musk alleged on Monday that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) sent $59 million last week to luxury hotels in New York City to house undocumented migrants.
Musk’s claim was based on findings from his Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) team, which he says uncovered the financial transfer.
In a post on X (formerly Twitter), Musk accused FEMA of misusing disaster relief funds, stating that the money was unlawfully redirected to migrant accommodations instead of being allocated for American disaster aid. He further announced plans to demand the recovery of the funds.
“The @DOGE team just discovered that FEMA sent $59M LAST WEEK to luxury hotels in New York City to house illegal migrants,” Musk wrote.
“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.”
This claim follows President Donald Trump’s recent executive order establishing a council to oversee FEMA, citing concerns over potential political bias within the agency.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem later addressed the matter on CNN’s State of the Union, confirming that Musk’s DOGE team was granted access to Department of Homeland Security (DHS) data as part of an internal audit. Noem stated that President Trump authorized this review to ensure FEMA’s funds were being properly allocated.