NEW YORK (PIX11) -- The race for New York’s 18th Congressional District heated up on Wednesday evening as candidates Alison Esposito and Pat Ryan faced off in a live debate on PIX11 News.
Of the topics addressed in the debate, one that stirred controversial responses was the lack of relief aid in Orange County from the Federal Emergency Management Agency back in 2023.
Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas claimed last week that FEMA's disaster relief fund is being depleted. The two candidates were asked how they would fix FEMA while ensuring New Yorkers are not forgotten.
Rather than addressing how he would fix FEMA, Democratic Congressman Ryan took the opportunity to express his frustration with FEMA regarding the aftermath of storms and flooding in Orange County in July 2023.
"This is something I've been incredibly frustrated with. They failed to meet the moment. I literally grilled the FEMA administrator in the transportation and infrastructure committee personally," said Ryan.
Ryan claims he told FEMA to come to the district and do right by those who hadn't gotten relief.
"We thankfully did get funding to solve a lot of the physical infrastructure damage but we have to get that individual assistance under FEMA," Ryan said.
Meanwhile, Hurricane Milton made landfall Wednesday night along Florida’s Gulf Coast. "For those in Florida right now, we are praying for you," said Ryan. "God bless everybody down there."
Ben Mitchell is a digital content producer from Vermont who has covered both local and international news since 2021. He joined PIX11 in 2024. See more of his work here.
