Kelly, Gallego Help Secure Nearly $10 Million in FEMA Reimbursements for Pima County

After years of advocacy, senators help secure funding for Pima County’s efforts to provide shelter to legally processed asylum seekers during height of border crisis Arizona Senators Mark Kelly and Ruben Gallego announced that the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has reimbursed Pima County approximately$6.1 million for eligible costs incurred in fiscal year 2023 and an additional $3.5 million for fiscal year 2024—nearly $10 million combined . The reimbursements follow years of advocacy by Kelly and Gallego, who have pressed FEMA to fulfill its commitment to reimburse Pima County and Arizona non-profit organizations for eligible costs under the federal Shelter and Services Program (SSP). In July, the senators demanded that FEMA process and reimburse all outstanding eligible SSP claims. “The federal government made a commitment to reimburse Pima Country when the community stepped up to the plate during a difficult time,” said Kelly . “Senator Gallego and I pushed for this long overdue reimbursement, and we won’t give up until every Arizona organization gets paid.” “Pima County stepped up when the federal government asked them to, and for over two years, they waited for Washington to keep its promise and pay the bill,” said Gallego “I wasn’t going to let Arizona communities that did the right thing get left holding the bag. We kept pushing FEMA to do its job, and now Pima County is getting the nearly $10 million it was owed.” Background: Congress created the SSP with bipartisan support to provide funding to local governments and service providers for short-term emergency services, including food and shelter, for asylum seekers who had been legally processed by the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) at a time when the border was in crisis. Pima County and other Arizona non-profits used the funding to provide temporary shelter, food, transportation, and other basic services, preventing hundreds of thousands of asylum seekers from being released onto the streets of Arizona border communities without support. The Trump administration froze SSP funding, betraying the commitment made to localities and nonprofits that stepped in to support the federal government during the border crisis. Pima County continued its efforts seeking reimbursement for eligible expenses the county incurred under the government’s grant. Kelly and Gallego are also working with World Hunger Ecumenical Arizona Task Force (WHEAT) and other Arizona organizations still awaiting reimbursement under the federal program. The senators will continue pressing FEMA to resolve all outstanding eligible reimbursement requests and ensure Arizona communities and nonprofits receive the funding they are owed.