Joe Biden's Aid to Hawaii vs Ukraine Aid Compared: What We Know

The Biden administration has been criticized in recent days over the support offered to survivors of the deadly wildfires in Maui, compared to the billions in U.S. aid sent to Ukraine.

Some Republicans and conservative commentators questioned President Joe Biden's priorities after the government announced a further $200 million of security assistance for Kyiv as it battles Russia's invasion, on the same day that people affected by the fires in Hawaii were offered $700 a household.

This is not the totality of the federal aid that will go to Maui, however. Although some figures have been released, the disaster recovery effort is in its early stages and further disbursements are expected in the days and weeks to come.

The aid being sent to Ukraine is also largely of a different sort. The bulk is defensive weaponry and equipment.

Congress granted $113 billion in aid and military assistance to Ukraine between the invasion in February 2022 and the end of last year, according to the Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, a non-partisan think tank cited by senators.

About $67.1 billion was for defensive capabilities, while $46 billion was non-defense aid, including economic and disaster assistance funds, and help with refugees.

The Department of Defense said it had provided $12.1 billion in security assistance to Kyiv since the start of 2023. On Monday, August 14, it announced the latest $200 million package, including Patriot air defense systems and HIMARS munitions.

On the same day, the president announced the one-off payment for survivors in Maui.

"We're laser-focused on getting aid to survivors, including Critical Needs Assistance: a one-time $700 payment per household offering relief during an unimaginably difficult time," Biden wrote in a post on X, formerly Twitter, on Monday. "We have staff on the ground dedicated to helping survivors navigate the registration process."

FEMA's "Temporary Sheltering Assistance is now available for residents who were displaced from their homes," Biden posted.

Several parts of Maui have been damaged by the rapidly spreading wildfires, so it is unclear how many households will be eligible for the $700 payment. There are 53,919 households in Maui County, which covers Maui and some smaller islands, according to U.S. Census Bureau estimates for 2017-2021.

On August 11, Pacific Disaster Center research conducted on behalf of Maui County suggested that 2,207 structures had been damaged or destroyed by fire in the resort town of Lahaina alone—suggesting a disbursement for its residents of around $1.5 million.

The Pacific Disaster Center said 86 percent of the structures burned were residential buildings and there were an estimated 4,500 people now in need of shelter. It expects the rebuilding costs to reach $5.52 billion.

The administrator of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Deanne Criswell, told a White House briefing on Wednesday that the agency had already given $2.3 million to families, but only 1,300 households had registered so far.

On its dedicated web page for the disaster response, FEMA lists the total assistance approved so far as $3.17 million, of which $1.42 million is "individual and households program" assistance. A further $1.76 million is "other needs assistance." It states that 1,567 applications for individual assistance have been approved.

The Department of Defense, which has assisted with rescue and recovery efforts through the U.S. Coast Guard, the National Guard and the U.S. Army, directed questions about aid to FEMA.

A FEMA spokesperson told Newsweek that it had awarded more than $3.8 million "directly to Hawaiian survivors to use for things like housing assistance or other critical needs they have."

They also noted that on Wednesday, Biden also awarded additional assistance to the state and local government in Maui for recovery costs, but that "no money is obligated yet for these costs."

The wildfires were declared a major disaster by the president on August 10. This allows the federal government to offer low-interest disaster loans to affected businesses and residents through the Small Business Administration (SBA).

Homeowners and renters on Maui can claim up to $500,000 at 2.5 percent interest for home repairs or reconstruction, or up to $100,000 to repair or replace personal property. Businesses can claim up to $2 million at 4 percent interest.

It is too soon to tell how many people will take up these loans.

"Within hours of the disaster declaration, the SBA began deploying staff and resources to Maui to highlight the disaster assistance resources available to small businesses, residents and the surrounding community," Christine Saah Nazer, a spokesperson for the SBA, told Newsweek.

"The SBA is embedded with FEMA on the ground and prepared to help those affected access financial assistance," she added.

The Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) is also providing housing counselling to affected residents. A spokesperson said it had "enacted every flexibility within our authority" and also had a team on the ground in Maui.

However, the spokesperson added: "As with most disasters, HUD must wait until Congress provides funding for long-term recovery. This is why HUD Secretary Marcia L. Fudge has made it clear that we need authorization of Disaster Recovery funding, so that communities and their leaders do not have to wait to rebuild."

For more information or to register for help, go to disasterassistance.gov.

Update 08/18/23, 3:04 a.m. ET: This article was updated to include comment from a FEMA spokesperson.