More than three years after its COVID-19 disaster period ended, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is still closing the books on pandemic spending, including millions for the Los Angeles Opera Company that pays its top executive $1 million a year.
FEMA’s latest statement was provided in response to an investigation by The Center Square exposing $27 million worth of government grants and $33 million in executive compensation at the opera.
FEMA told The Center Square it has finalized 95% of its COVID-19 Public Assistance projects, which reimbursed government agencies and eligible nonprofits for pandemic-related expenses.
The agency also reported “recovering over $2 billion last year with an additional $1 billion anticipated this year,” although its statement did not explain any additional context surrounding what happened to that money or how those figures were calculated.
An unnamed spokesperson for FEMA sent the comments to The Center Square via email.
“The Trump Administration looks forward to bringing the COVID-19 disaster to a close,” the spokesperson wrote. “Since the end of the COVID-19 pandemic, FEMA has aggressively worked to close out all remaining public health and safety reimbursements projects under this program.”
The FEMA spokesperson pointed the finger at “reckless Democrats in Congress” for the delays, blaming “three separate funding lapses totaling over 120 days.” The statement also credited a “critical project extension” that “ultimately ensured that recipients had the necessary time to complete final closeout activities.”
Sen. John Fetterman, D-Pa., has been critical of FEMA for the delays. In April 2026, he published a letter calling the delays “inexcusable” and “antithetical to President Trump’s stated commitment to enhancing government efficiency.”
“It is incumbent on FEMA, and the entire Federal government, to fight waste, fraud, and abuse, and we support subjecting the largest reimbursements to serious scrutiny,” Fetterman wrote. “However, once such reviews are complete, there is no excuse for allowing bureaucratic red tape to slow disbursement of funds.”
Sen. Adam Schiff, D-Calif., called for the reopening of FEMA in March 2026 while Democrats and Republicans continued negotiating over the shutdown of the Department of Homeland Security, which includes FEMA.
“Let’s pass this commonsense bill and reopen FEMA today,” Schiff said. “Let’s get disaster recovery efforts moving forward. We can do both. “
Sen. James Lankford, R-Okla., objected to the unanimous passing of that proposal. Instead, he asked Democrats to consider a proposal made two weeks earlier that would have temporarily funded the entire Department of Homeland Security.
FMEA’s continued reimbursements do not necessarily mean organizations are receiving money for new COVID precautions. FEMA ended eligibility for pandemic emergency work and expenses on May 11, 2023, with some exceptions.
Earlier this year, FEMA announced more than $5.4 billion in additional COVID reimbursements for 458 projects.
According to the Government Accountability Office, a lengthy reimbursement process was anticipated. In July 2024, the office reported FEMA would continue committing and spending money on COVID Public Assistance projects through August 2026.
According to FEMA, the LA Opera was “fully eligible” to receive approximately $2 million to reimburse its earlier COVID-19 expenses; “These funds covered critical emergency measures incurred prior to the May 11, 2023 performance deadline.”
FEMA also attributed its delayed payments to “rigorously” reviewing the internal processes to ensure that all claimed costs are fully eligible with “strict program requirements.”
“FEMA is committed to processing eligible projects as expeditiously as possible, while ensuring reimbursements are fiscally sound and maintaining oversight and accountability to the American taxpayer,” the spokesperson wrote.
