All posts tagged "Disaster Relief Funds"

Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) went off on Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem and criticized her handling of FEMA disaster relief during a Senate Judiciary Committee hearing on Tuesday.

Noem was testifying before senators when Tillis gave his statement, eviscerating Noem's leadership and expressing his disappointment about her decisions regarding the Department of Homeland Security and Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) actions, including the deaths of American citizens Renee Good and Alex Pretti. He argued that Noem had disappointed him and specifically expressed concerns about how she has handled the Federal Emergency Management Agency.

"What we've seen is a disaster under your leadership," Tillis said. ...

The Trump administration spent more than $5 billion of FEMA disaster relief funding in just one week while it pushed Democrats to end the government shutdown, according to reports Friday.

The administration aimed to use the "dwindling aid" as a bargaining move to pressure Democratic lawmakers to capitulate on Department of Homeland Security funding negotiations, according to Politico.

The spending includes more than half of the balance of the United States' total funding for recovery projects and a FEMA spokesperson said that some of the funding went to disasters “that happened more than 15 years ago” and accused Democrats of "playing political games," Politico reported. The spokesperson said there could be “dire consequences” as the funding “is being rapidly depleted.”...

A bipartisan group of senators held a secret meeting this week to try and stop President Donald Trump and Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem from interfering with and destroying FEMA, according to reports Thursday.

The disaster relief agency has been targeted by the Trump administration and the meeting on Tuesday aimed to build bipartisan support to reshape the office, Politico reported.

Sen. Peter Welch (D-VT) organized the meeting and said there was mounting concern over the potential structural changes, especially after Trump signaled the agency was too slow to responding to disasters. Other members of the administration, including Noem and Defense Secretary Pete Hegseth, have also said they want to decrease federal funding for state disaster aid....

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - With aid to disaster victims running out, Congress on Friday ratcheted up a high-stakes confrontation over spending that once again threatens the government's ability to function smoothly.

Freshman House Republican Nan Hayworth's New York district was one of the hardest hit by Hurricane Irene, but the congresswoman seems to be working against her own interests by holding disaster relief hostage in a effort to slash federal spending, according to a recent report.

WASHINGTON – Republican Sen. Kay Bailey Hutchison on Friday repeatedly accused the Obama administration of harboring a bias against Texas and treating it worse than it treats other states.