Gallego, Kelly 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 asylum seekers during height of border crisis WASHINGTON – Today, Senators Ruben Gallego (D-AZ) and Mark Kelly (D-AZ) announced 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. “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 Senator Ruben 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.” “The federal government made a commitment to reimburse Pima Country when the community stepped up to the plate during a difficult time,” said Senator Kelly. “Senator Gallego and I pushed for this long overdue reimbursement, and we won’t give up until every Arizona organization gets paid.” The reimbursements follow years of advocacy by Senators Gallego and Kelly, who have pressed FEMA to fulfill its commitment to reimburse Pima County and other 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. Congress created 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 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 later froze SSP funding and questioned whether recipients had facilitated illegal immigration. Pima County disputed those allegations and continued seeking reimbursement for eligible expenses. Gallego and Kelly 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.