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Posts tagged ‘FEMA’


New York City denied request FEMA return $80M in migrant funds

By Deirdre Heavey Fox News | Published March 6, 2025, 11:50am EST

Read more at https://www.foxnews.com/politics/new-york-city-denied-request-fema-return-80m-migrant-funds

A federal judge blocked New York City’s request for President Donald Trump’s administration to return $80 million in Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) funds allocated for migrant shelters and services. Judge Jennifer Rearden, from the Manhattan bench on Wednesday, refused to issue New York City a temporary restraining order to claw back the funds because the city did not prove it would suffer irreparable harm without the money. 

“We’re disappointed the court did not grant the emergency relief we were seeking while the case continued, and we are evaluating next steps,” a New York City Law Department spokesperson told Fox News. 

The City of New York filed the lawsuit on Feb. 21 against Trump, FEMA, the Treasury Department and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), arguing the $80 million was already approved and paid out by FEMA.

trump adams split
A federal judge blocked New York City’s request for President Donald Trump’s administration to claw back $80 million in FEMA funds. (Getty/AP)

NYC MAYOR ERIC ADAMS, AN EX-COP, HAS ‘UPPER HAND’ OVER OTHER SANCTUARY CITY MAYORS: BLUE LIVES MATTER FOUNDER

“This morning, our office learned about the federal government clawing back more than $80 million in FEMA grants applied for and awarded under the last administration, but not disbursed until last week,” Mayor Eric Adams, D-N.Y., said in an X post the day the lawsuit was filed. 

The lawsuit said the funds were revoked on Feb. 11, after Elon Musk said the Department of Government Efficiency found a $59 million FEMA payment to New York City for luxury hotels used to house illegal migrants. DHS Secretary Kristi Noem said she rescinded the funds over concerns that the Roosevelt Hotel is the “Tren de Aragua base of operations.”

Noem hosts DHS press conference
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem delivers remarks to staff at the Department of Homeland Security headquarters in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 28. (Manuel Balce Ceneta-Pool/Getty Images)

“​I have clawed back the full payment that FEMA deep state activists unilaterally gave to NYC migrant hotels. FEMA was funding the Roosevelt Hotel that serves as a Tren de Aragua base of operations and was used to house Laken Riley’s killer. Mark my words: there will not be a single penny spent that goes against the interest and safety of the American people,” Noem said in an X post. 

NYC SUES AFTER TRUMP ADMIN CLAWS BACK $80M MIGRANT HOUSING GRANT

NYC Comptroller Brad Lander, a mayoral candidate vying for Adams’ seat, said the Trump administration “stole” the funds. 

​​“Let’s be clear: Donald Trump and his loser lackies — Elon Musk and Kristi Noem — acted illegally when they stole $80 million from New York City’s bank account. Seizing our Congressionally-authorized, FEMA-approved money was nothing more than attempted retribution against immigrants seeking asylum, many of them sent here on buses by Governor Abbott from Texas. Like all of Trump’s illegal efforts to freeze and seize Congressionally-authorized funds, this action harmed taxpayers and working families and would force the City to cut services if not reversed,” Lander said in a statement following the ruling on Wednesday. 

sanctuary city mayors
Boston Mayor Michelle Wu testifies during a House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform hearing in Washington, D.C., on Wednesday. (Anadolu via Getty Images)

The ruling came as Adams and his fellow “sanctuary city” Democratic mayors testified about their response to the migrant crisis on Capitol Hill on Wednesday. 

“I’m here today to testify on how New York City can continue to reduce crime, even as a sanctuary city,” Adams told the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee. 

“To be clear: A sanctuary city classification does not mean our city will ever be a safe haven for violent criminals. It also does not give New York City the authority to violate federal immigration laws. To the contrary, New York City will always comply with city, state, and federal laws, as it does now,” he added. 

New York City Mayor Adams addresses the media
New York City Mayor Eric Adams speaks during a news conference outside Gracie Mansion in New York on Sept. 26, 2024. (Rashid Umar Abbasi for Fox News Digital)

Adams vowed to protect law-abiding New York City residents, regardless of immigration status, while also directing NYPD officers to comply with DHS and ICE. The mayor’s comments reflect his ongoing effort to strike a balance between protecting New Yorkers and coordinating with the Trump administration’s illegal immigration crackdown. 

As New York City struggled to keep up with the busloads of migrants entering the city’s overwhelmed shelter system, Adams was critical of former President Joe Biden’s handling of the migrant crisis. In his plight against the migrant crisis, Adams has developed a relationship with Trump — holding a private meeting with the president in West Palm Beach, Florida, and then meeting with border czar Tom Homan to discuss the migrant crisis in New York City. 

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Homan said he would hold Adams to his commitments, telling “FOX & Friends,” “If he doesn’t come through, I’ll be back in New York City, and we won’t be sitting on the couch. I’ll be in his office, up his butt, saying, ‘Where the hell is the agreement we came to?'”

Adams’ office did not immediately respond to Fox News Digital’s request for comment. 

Fox News’ Michael Dorgan and Grace Taggart contributed to this report.

Deirdre Heavey is a politics writer for Fox News Digital. 

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Christians Outshine FEMA By Far- Look What They’re Doing! [Videos]


By: Daphne Moon | November 29, 2024

Read more at https://thepatriotchronicles.com/news-for-you/christians-outshine-fema-by-far-look-what-theyre-doing-video/

When Hurricane Helene brought unprecedented flooding to western North Carolina in September, many people were left struggling without power and clean water for weeks. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) faced backlash for their slow response and mismanagement of funds, but one global Christian charity stood out for their immediate action and life-saving relief efforts.

Water Mission, a nonprofit based in Charleston, South Carolina, sprang into action as soon as they saw their fellow Americans in need. Their president and CEO, George Greene IV, told the Daily Caller News Foundation that “anytime there’s a need in the [United States], as a [United States] organization, our hearts are drawn to trying to figure out how we can help.” This has been a real special relief effort for us for being able to do that.”

Water Mission, whose mission is to provide safe water solutions to developing countries around the world, is no stranger to disaster relief. Since 2001, they have helped over 8 million people in 60 countries, including previous disaster responses to Hurricane Katrina and Winter Storm Uri in Texas. And when Hurricane Helene hit, they were prepared to jump in and help once again.

While FEMA faced criticism for their slow response, Water Mission wasted no time. They mobilized an on-the-ground disaster relief team the day after the storm hit and began distributing generators and water purification packets to those in need. They also installed water treatment systems in some of the hardest-hit communities, providing safe drinking water for up to 5,000 people a day.

But their impact didn’t stop there. Water Mission also stepped in to help Asheville public schools reopen after the hurricane left the city’s water undrinkable. Dr. Maggie Fehrman, superintendent of Asheville city schools, praised Water Mission for their help, stating that their water filtration systems allowed them to reopen schools faster and with full instructional days.

The school district had initially requested bottled water, but Water Mission went above and beyond by offering to install water treatment systems in the schools instead. And the impact of their generosity and innovation didn’t go unnoticed. Fehrman told Christianity Today that the entire Water Mission team, from their CEO to their local response team, was a joy to work with during this difficult time.

In contrast to the criticism faced by FEMA, Water Mission’s actions during the Hurricane Helene response are a testament to the power of individual and private organizations to make a positive impact during times of crisis. Their dedication to providing clean water and essential resources to those in need is a true example of humanitarian aid in action.

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Rep. Luna Seeks Answers from FEMA Over Migrant Spending


By Kate McManus    |   Tuesday, 08 October 2024 03:29 PM EDT

Read more at https://www.newsmax.com/newsfront/anna-paulina-luna-fema-migrant-crisis/2024/10/08/id/1183292/

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., is calling on the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to ensure funds are used solely for disaster recovery and not for illegal immigrants, the Daily Caller reported Tuesday. Luna’s district on Florida’s Gulf Coast was impacted by Hurricane Helene and is now preparing to get hit hard by Hurricane Milton sometime this week. In a letter to FEMA Administrator Deanne Criswell, obtained by the Daily Caller, Luna raised concerns about the agency’s use of taxpayer money.

“The recent reporting on the Federal Emergency Management Administration’s allocation of congressionally appropriated funds to illegal immigrants, leaving it without the necessary resources to respond to the recent hurricanes, is a matter of urgent concern,” she wrote.

“[Homeland Security] Secretary [Alejandro] Mayorkas’ statement at a recent press conference, ‘FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season,’ underscores the gravity of the situation. This mismanagement of taxpayer funds is unacceptable and requires immediate remedial action from FEMA.”

Mayorkas said earlier this month that FEMA didn’t have enough money to cover the rest of the hurricane season.

In the letter, Luna asked how much FEMA has spent since January 2021 to cover expenses related to the migrant crisis, including funds sent to cities, nonprofits, and other organizations. She also inquired about the steps being taken to recover those funds. Luna also is seeking assurance that no future FEMA taxpayer funds will be diverted to cover “costs imposed by the illegal migrant crisis.”

Newsmax reached out to FEMA for comment.

Hurricane Helene hit Florida on Sept. 26 as a Category 4 storm, causing widespread damage in six states. FEMA has been under fire for how it responded to that storm. Meanwhile, Florida is bracing for Hurricane Milton, which is expected to make landfall in the Tampa area, likely as a Category 3 storm.

Kate McManus ✉

Kate McManus is a New Jersey-based Newsmax writer who’s spent more than two decades as a journalist.

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FEMA Is Broke


By: Peter St. Onge | October 08, 2024

Read more at https://www.dailysignal.com/2024/10/08/fema-is-broke/

Peter St. Onge@profstonge

Peter St. Onge is a visiting fellow at The Heritage Foundation.

Editor’s note: This is a lightly edited transcript of the accompanying video from professor Peter St. Onge.

It’s America last as the nation’s disaster relief agency, the Federal Emergency Management Agency, reports it is broke because it wasted billions on illegals, Ukraine, and other foreign aid instead of, say, the American people.

So says the Department of Homeland Security, with Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas confessing, “FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season.”

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Note this is after Dems strong-armed $12 billion last year by holding it hostage to Ukraine aid, then House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-Ky., poured in another $20 billion just weeks ago.

FEMA’s foreigner-depleted cupboards could be part of why the White House dragged its feet declaring Title 10—which sends military resources into disaster zones to help rescue operations.

That largely left rescue to private volunteers—truck drivers, helicopter pilots, and people who have boats, dubbed the Cajun Navy. Some of whom, incidentally, have been threatened with arrest.

Of course, even if you don’t arrest them, there’s only so many private volunteers with helicopters, and they don’t have billions of dollars hijacked from taxpayers then given away to import new voters or pay military contractors.

For example, considering the 82nd Airborne is literally based in North Carolina and in hours deploys halfway around the world, it might be nice to get some help.

Ironically enough, just last week, President Joe Biden announced another $2.4 billion to Ukraine, aid that has historically included generators and transformers bought by USAID that are now desperately needed in North Carolina.

Of course, it wasn’t just Ukraine; everybody from Taiwan to Djibouti apparently has been feasting while our own people go without.

That apparently includes the millions of illegal aliens who showed up uninvited.

Thanks to X, we have the receipts for program after program shipping out FEMA money for illegals a hundred million at a time. The New York Post tallies these for a total of at least $1.4 billion in disaster relief repurposed to bribe sanctuary cities to import replacement voters—especially in swing states.

As America First Legal put it: “Over the last 4 years the Biden-Harris admin has steadily transformed FEMA into an illegal alien resettlement agency.”

So, it’s red carpets for illegals, $200 billion for Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, and boiling swamp water for North Carolina.

So, what’s next?

For literally millennia, disaster relief has been the touchstone of a functioning government. In China, for example, a poor response to a natural disaster was taken as a revocation of the “Mandate of Heaven”—a sovereign’s right to rule.

This is part of the reason that, even today, countries like Japan, where I am now, take natural disasters very seriously. Because the people are watching. And remembering.

In America, our federal government has long since lost that mandate.

FEMA was a disaster in Hurricane Katrina. In COVID-19. In East Palestine, Ohio. And now in North Carolina.

How did it get this bad? Easy: Because the bureaucracy took over, replacing the people via something called the Pendleton Act, which I’ll cover in an upcoming video.

This means the government’s goal is not serving the people but feathering its own nest—expanding its power and rewarding the donors and lobbyists who pay the politicians to expand that power.

One video out of North Carolina captures the shift perfectly: A police officer threatens to arrest a local couple trying to salvage their flooded store before looters get to it.

There was a time when that officer would have rolled up his sleeves and pitched in. Because his job was to protect and serve. But those days are gone: Protect and serve is now neglect and harass.

At least if you’re American.

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Elon Musk: FEMA ‘Actively Blocking’ Volunteer Help in N.C.


By Nicole Wells    |   Friday, 04 October 2024, 01:57 PM EDT

Read more at https://www.newsmax.com/us/aid-fema-helene/2024/10/04/id/1182894/

Rep. Andy Harris on Salcedo

Tech billionaire Elon Musk took to X on Friday afternoon to claim the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is “actively blocking” volunteers who try to help the struggling citizens of western North Carolina in the wake of Hurricane Helene.

“Just received this note from a SpaceX engineer helping on the ground in North Carolina,” Musk wrote. “@FEMA is not merely failing to adequately help people in trouble but is actively blocking citizens who try to help!”

“Hey Elon, update here on site of Asheville, NC,” Musk said his employee wrote. “We have powered up two large operating bases for choppers to deliver goods into hands. We’ve deployed 300+ starlinks and outpour is it has saved many lives.’

“The big issue is FEMA is actively blocking shipments and seizing goods and services locally and locking them away to state they are their own,” the post continued. “It’s very real and scary how much they have taken control to stop people helping. We are blocked now on the shipments of new starlinks coming in until we get an escort from the fire dept. but that may not be enough.”

Musk’s allegation is not the only report of volunteers being blocked from assisting in the North Carolina rescue operations. A helicopter pilot hailing from South Carolina said he was threatened with arrest over the weekend for his efforts to rescue people trapped in the mountains.

Since making landfall over a week ago, Hurricane Helene has been blamed for the deaths of more than 200 people across several states in the Southeast, including North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, and Georgia.

Nicole Wells ✉

Nicole Wells, a Newsmax general assignment reporter covers news, politics, and culture. She is a National Newspaper Association award-winning journalist.

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Biden-Harris Admin Claims FEMA Is Out of Money. Here’s Where the Money Went


By: Tristan Justice | October 03, 2024

Read more at https://thefederalist.com/2024/10/03/biden-harris-admin-claims-fema-is-out-of-money-heres-where-the-money-went/

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Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas is pleading with lawmakers to send the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) more money after the disaster relief agency emptied the coffers to provide services for illegal immigrants.

“FEMA does not have the funds to make it through the season,” Mayorkas told reporters on Air Force One Wednesday, with hurricane season running from June 1 through Nov. 30.

“We are meeting the immediate needs with the money that we have,” he said, after Hurricane Helene brought devastation to the southeastern United States.

(PLEASE SEE https://mrb562.wordpress.com/wp-admin/post.php?post=96067&action=edit FOR TESTIMONIALS OF WHAT IS ACTUALLY HAPPENING)

The storm crashed into Florida as a Category 4 hurricane last week and poured a record-breaking 40 trillion gallons of water across the South, washing away entire Appalachian towns. Ryan Cole, the assistant director for emergency services in Buncombe County where Asheville became isolated due to broken roads and no power or cell service, characterized the aftermath as “Biblical.”

“You’ve heard us say, ‘catastrophic devastation within our county.’ I would go a little bit further and say we have Biblical devastation through the county,” Cole said Sunday. “We’ve had Biblical flooding here, and it has been extremely significant.”

But while communities across southern Appalachia scramble to rebuild following the torrential downpour that killed roughly 200 people, federal relief efforts have come up short. One woman named Alyse Adams, who spoke to NBC News about her family stuck in the North Carolina mountains, said she’s been stunned by the slow response from the Biden-Harris administration.

“I don’t know how you did not have a formal press conference or something from either President Biden or Kamala Harris,” Adams said. “FEMA is not on the ground there at all. They are not in these cities, not in these towns, and not in these villages.”

While the emergency response agency is typically proactive, with pre-staged supplies ready for immediate rescue operations, that same support was clearly not available to the Appalachian towns where Hurricane Helene wrought havoc. Instead, the Biden-Harris administration restructured FEMA to provide services for illegal migrants with a new bureaucratic mandate to instill “equity as a foundation of emergency management.” Storm preparedness ranks as a third priority for the disaster relief task force under “lead[ing] whole of community in climate resilience.”

According to the government’s website, FEMA has spent more than $1 billion “to provide humanitarian services to noncitizen migrants following their release from the Department of Homeland Security (DHS)” under the “Shelter and Services Program” just within the last two years. The agency allocated nearly $364 million to the program in the fiscal year 2023 and $650 million for 2024.

“Over the last 4 years the Biden-Harris admin has steadily transformed FEMA — the agency responsible for responding to natural disasters like Hurricane Helene — into an illegal alien resettlement agency that emphasizes DEI over public safety,” reported America First Legal, a conservative non-profit. AFL published a series on online posts outlining where FEMA spent tax dollars meant to assist Americans in the aftermath of major storms and hurricanes.

“The Shelter and Services Program is designed to exclusively provide shelter and services to illegal aliens,” AFL reported, with millions in grants spent to groups primarily across the Southwest. AFL also highlighted the “Emergency Food and Shelter Program” as a “separate program” that has given $685 million “to fund illegal aliens.”

According to the Congressional Budget Office, FEMA gets most of its funding from supplemental appropriations bills passed by lawmakers following natural disasters. This hurricane season, however, has only brought two major storms to the U.S. that caused widespread devastation: Helene and Beryl, which hit Texas in June. Yet Mayorkas is now demanding more funding for FEMA after the administration diverted the agency’s resources for the continued migrant crisis under President Biden’s “border czar,” Kamala Harris.

“We have, of course, made a significant request of Congress with respect to stable funding for the Federal Emergency Management Administration, which should not be a political issue,” Mayorkas said Wednesday. “This is something that Americans need desperately.”

Americans in the washed-out towns of southern Appalachia also need the support of their federal government more than the illegal border crossers in California and Texas, desperately.

Tristan Justice is the western correspondent for The Federalist and the author of Social Justice Redux, a conservative newsletter on culture, health, and wellness. He has also written for The Washington Examiner and The Daily Signal. His work has also been featured in Real Clear Politics and Fox News. Tristan graduated from George Washington University where he majored in political science and minored in journalism. Follow him on Twitter at @JusticeTristan or contact him at Tristan@thefederalist.com. Sign up for Tristan’s email newsletter here.

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Today’s Politically INCORRECT Cartoon by A.F. Branco


A.F. Branco Cartoon – Green New Water

A.F. BRANCO | on February 17, 2023 | https://comicallyincorrect.com/a-f-branco-cartoon-green-new-water/

Senator J.D. Vance says EPA should come to East Palestine Ohio and Dring the water.

East Palestine Water
Political cartoon by A.F. Branco ©2023.

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A.F. Branco has taken his two greatest passions, (art and politics) and translated them into cartoons that have been popular all over the country, in various news outlets including NewsMax, Fox News, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, and “The Washington Post.” He has been recognized by such personalities as Rep. Devin Nunes, Dinesh D’Souza, James Woods, Chris Salcedo, Sarah Palin, Larry Elder, Lars Larson, Rush Limbaugh, and President Donald Trump.

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C. Douglas Golden Op-ed: Biden Admin Lit Megafire That Burned 432 Homes, Now US Is Forcing Victims to Pay for It


 By C. Douglas Golden  August 2, 2022 at 8:03am

Read more at https://www.westernjournal.com/biden-admin-lit-megafire-burned-432-homes-now-us-forcing-victims-pay/

When the federal government started a wildfire that burned 432 homes in New Mexico back in May, President Joe Biden promised that the U.S. government would be footing the bill.

“Today, I’m announcing the federal government’s covering 100 percent of the cost,” Biden said during a June 11 speech at the New Mexico State Regional Training Installation Facility in Santa Fe.

Unfortunately, that doesn’t appear to be the case, according to Reuters.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture is now telling victims that they need to share the cost of the fire because Biden’s declaration didn’t waive a federal statute requiring cost-sharing.

According to The Associated Press, the wildfire — the largest in the state’s history — resulted from two controlled burns by the U.S. Forest Service in regions known as Calf’s Canyon and Hermit’s Peak.

Lo and behold, the controlled burns got out of control. The resulting fire incinerated 432 residences over a 530-square-mile area, Reuters reported.

The burn damage consisted “of mostly privately owned forests and meadows, much of it held by members of centuries-old Indo-Hispano ranching communities,” the report said.

During his remarks in Santa Fe, Biden made it clear there was a bit of an asterisk to the promise that 100 percent of the cost would be borne by the federal government.

According to a White House transcript of his remarks, the president noted that “we have a responsibility, as a government, as a — to deal with the communities who are put in — in such jeopardy” and vowed that the federal government would cover “100 percent of the cost of debris removal and emergency protective measures for the next critical months.”

However, he added that the funding was intended to “be a strong bridge until we — that we pass the — the Hermit’s Peak Fire Assistance Act.”

If that law passes, it could provide total federal compensation — although not in the near term, given that the legislation isn’t likely to be voted on until the fall. Thus, for the moment, many of the fire victims now have to pay for the damage the federal government caused.

Take Daniel Encinias, a 55-year-old rancher who met Biden during his visit to New Mexico. He’s living in a camping trailer next to the ashes of his Tierra Monte, New Mexico, home. He’s not alone, either: His wife, Lori, his three teenagers and 12 pets are all in there, too.

He was also told by the Department of Agriculture he would get quick support at minimal cost. That’s a good thing because, as with many in his low-income corner of the world, he didn’t have insurance.

That’s not quite how it worked, however.

“Encinias submitted an application to the USDA’s Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) to fix his well, but was told to share 25% of costs based on a federal statute that could not be waived as it did not fall under Biden’s declaration,” Reuters reported.

“Encinias said he was told by NRCS officials his application would be considered in September and recovery work would begin six to 12 months thereafter if he was accepted.”

“Why the hell am I going to pay anything when I didn’t cause this damn fire?” he said.

After starting New Mexico fire, U.S. asks victims to pay

http://reut.rs/3PNTmuu

Originally tweeted by Reuters (@Reuters) on July 31, 2022.

Encinias, a retired electrician, is doing some of the work himself. As for feeding his cattle, he’s been forced to buy hay because the baler he owns was destroyed in the fire.

The family is surviving on the $37,000 maximum Federal Emergency Management Agency payout for the destruction of their five-bedroom house in the fire.

“I’m hoping that finally something works out where it helps the people,” Encinias said.

Then there’s rancher Kenny Zamora, who saw 170 acres of his forest burned. Following the fire, heavy rains caused debris to slide down hills no longer able to absorb water, leaving his pastures covered in 2 feet of muck.

“If you don’t have insurance, you’re pretty much on your own,” he said.

He’s not kidding. After applying to the USDA’s Farms Service Agency for help to feed his livestock, he was told he wasn’t eligible, with USDA officials telling him the Emergency Forest Restoration Program in the area hasn’t been funded yet.

These two are hardly alone, according to Reuters.

“Many fire-hit families cannot afford sharing at least 25% of costs on the USDA’s Emergency Forest Restoration Program (EFRP) which offers relief such as stabilization of burn areas prone to flash flooding, according to New Mexico State Forester Laura McCarthy. Residents sometimes own large areas of land passed down from 1800s Spanish-Mexican land grants while working blue-collar jobs,” the report said.

“They’re really struggling,” the state forester said.

So, what happens to people like Encinias in the interim?

Don’t ask the local NRCS office in Las Vegas, New Mexico, where Encinias had applied for aid. Its response to Reuters’ request for comment was to direct the wire service to the national office. The national office, however, didn’t respond to the request. Neither did the White House.

Biden made a promise. Yet his administration has been more concerned with getting its mega-spending bills through Congress than with delivering for these ranchers.

“It’s not a gift,” the president said in June. “We have a responsibility to help this state recover, to help the families who have been here for centuries, and the beautiful northern New Mexico villages who can’t go home and whose livelihoods have been fundamentally changed.”

If this really is a responsibility of his administration, he needs to start acting that way.

C. Douglas Golden, Contributor,

C. Douglas Golden is a writer who splits his time between the United States and Southeast Asia. Specializing in political commentary and world affairs, he’s written for Conservative Tribune and The Western Journal since 2014.

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New York Dem Arrested for Stealing from Hurricane Sandy Victims


 

Reported By Joe Setyon | January 11, 2018 at 10:46am

URL of the original posting site: https://www.westernjournalism.com/new-york-democrat-arrested-for-stealing-from-victims-of-hurricane-sandy/

New York State Democrat Assemblywoman Pamela Harris was arrested Tuesday for allegedly defrauding the federal and state governments out of $60,000, including $25,000 in FEMA funds that were allocated for residents left homeless in the aftermath of Hurricane Sandy.

But officials say Harris — who represents parts of Brooklyn in the state assembly — was not among the homeless. Instead, her Coney Island residence was still intact following the devastating 2012 storm, according to the New York Daily News.

The 57-year-old remained in her home after the storm but allegedly filed fake paperwork to prove she was paying rent for a residence in Staten Island. FEMA then compensated her with money that was set aside for “temporary housing assistance,” officials said.

In an effort to cover up what she had done, Harris is accused of telling witnesses they should lie to the FBI.

“Harris was busy brewing a storm of her own — one that resulted in her receiving significant payouts by the very federal agency charged with helping those truly in need,” said William Sweeney Jr., the head of the bureau field office in New York.

Prior to her 2015 election to the state assembly, Harris ran a non-profit training and mentoring organization. But she allegedly pocketed $34,000 that the city council had given to her group to pay for rent. Officials believe Harris used $10,000 to pay for vacations — including one on a cruise ship. She also allegedly used stolen money to shop for lingerie from Victoria’s Secret, as well as pay off bills she had accumulated from Kohls and the mortgage on her Coney Island home.

For her alleged crimes — which authorities say took place between 2012 and 2016 — Harris was charged with wire fraud, conspiracy to commit wire fraud, making false statements, bankruptcy fraud, witness tampering and conspiracy to obstruct justice, according to the Daily News. Harris pleaded not guilty and was released on $150,000 bond.

“Ms. Harris has been an invaluable community organizer and a well-regarded legislator,” her attorneys said in a statement. “Especially given her background, we are disappointed that Ms. Harris was indicted.”

“She has pleaded not guilty, and we look forward to her day in court and an opportunity there to present the full facts.”

The Democrat assemblywoman’s arrest came the same week New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio announced a lawsuit against the five largest oil companies in the nation, claiming Sandy’s destruction was amplified due to the climate change those companies contributed to. The storm struck the city in October 2012, leaving more than 40 New Yorkers dead and causing tens of billions of dollars in damage.

“After Sandy, it became clear that climate change was an active threat to our lives. It may have happened five years ago, but we are still dealing every day with the destruction it caused,” de Blasio tweeted Wednesday.

“It’s time for Big Oil to pay for that damage.” 

De Blasio also noted that New York is “the first major American city to take this action against fossil fuel companies.”

New York’s road to recovery has been a long one, with multiple resiliency projects being carried out in order to prevent future natural disasters from affecting the city in a similar manner, according to Politico.

“The city seeks to shift the costs of protecting the city from climate change impacts back onto the companies that have done nearly all they could to create this existential threat,” the lawsuit reads, as reported by the New York Post.

Moreover, de Blasio wants the city’s pensions to divest from oil companies. But according to the National Association of Manufacturers — an industry trade group — this move will come with a high price tag, as it could cost city employees $2.8 billion over 20 years.

“Divestment won’t do anything to cut greenhouse gas emissions. All it does is pass stocks from one shareholder to another,” NAM Vice President Chris Netram said Wednesday.

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Data shows Christian Nonprofits Provided More Hurricane Relief than FEMA


Reported By Constitution.com | September 11, 2017

From the Daily Caller News Foundations:

Christian non-profit organizations have outdone FEMA and provided the vast majority of the relief aid to victims of Hurricanes Harvey and Irma. Faith-based relief groups are responsible for providing nearly 80 percent of the aid delivered thus far to communities with homes devastated by the recent hurricanes, according to USA Today. An alliance of non-profit organizations called National Voluntary Organizations Active in Disaster (NVOAD), 75 percent of which are faith based, has helped FEMA distribute relief assistance to communities hit by disasters and assisted families in navigating government aid programs to begin the process of rebuilding. 

“About 80 percent of all recovery happens because of non-profits, and the majority of them are faith-based,” Greg Forrester, CEO of NVOAD, told USA Today.

Several individual organizations have aided in the relief operations in major ways as well. Samaritan’s Purse, an evangelical disaster relief group led by evangelist Franklin Graham, recently began a relief mission to the Caribbean to help victims of the hurricanes on various islands. Samaritan’s Purse also has ongoing relief operations in Houston and is preparing to aid Florida in the aftermath of Irma.

“FEMA – they have been a big blessing to us, they’re an assistance to us,” Luther Harrison, vice president of North American Ministries for Samaritan’s Purse, told USA Today. “For Hurricane Irma, the majority of our equipment has already been dispatched to Texas … so our office in Canada is bringing their equipment across the border and FEMA was instrumental in helping us clear that with customs and getting all the paperwork done.”

The United Methodist Committee on Relief, which has 20,000 volunteers trained to serve in disaster response teams, not only helps clean up the mess and repair the damage inflicted on homes by disasters, but also helps families with the process of applying for and receiving aid from various government relief programs.

The Seventh Day Adventists help state governments with warehousing various goods and necessities to aid communities in the aftermath of a disaster. 

“Right now, in the state of Texas, we are going around with FEMA trying to help them select a facility,” Derek Lee, director of disaster response for Adventist Community Services, told USA Today. “It’ll actually be the state’s facility but it’ll be us that helps them manage it. We are going around with them right now trying to help them pick out a facility that will accommodate what the need is going to be on the ground.”

Non-denominational Christian relief organization Convoy of Hope helps to provide meals to victims of natural disasters by setting up feeding stations in affected communities, and they often do so at FEMA’s request. Most recently the group prepared three trailer trucks filled with food and necessities to be shipped out to areas affected the worst by the hurricanes.

The services that faith-based relief groups have rendered to ravaged communities has not only helped the families and individuals affected by the storms, but has also translated into billions of dollars worth of aid for the states in general, which must match and pay back the economic aid given to them by FEMA. The volunteers, who come at no cost to state governments, count toward the states’ matching of FEMA funds.

“FEMA can not do what it does so well without the cooperation of faith-based non-profit organizations and churches,” Rev. Jamie Johnson, director of the Department of Homeland Security’s Center for Faith-Based & Neighborhood Partnerships, told USA Today. “It’s a beautiful relationship between government and the private sector and it is something to behold.”

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FEMA Refuses Relief Funding to “Climate Denier” States


 Posted on March 23, 2015 by Michael Minkoff

URL of the Original Posting Site: http://lastresistance.com/10725/fema-refuses-relief-funding-to-climate-denier-states/#hpZvxm1qutHb0PO0.99

Tyranney Alert

Welcome to the ObamaFEMA recently weighed in on the climate change debate by refusing to give disaster relief funding to any state that didn’t have established protocols to address climate change:

This may put several Republican governors who maintain the earth isn’t warming due to human activities, or prefer to do nothing about it, into a political bind. Their position may block their states’ access to hundreds of millions of dollars in FEMA funds. Over the past five years, the agency has awarded an average $1 billion a year in grants to states and territories for taking steps to mitigate the effects of disasters.

“If a state has a climate denier governor that doesn’t want to accept a plan, that would risk mitigation work not getting done because of politics,” said Becky Hammer, an attorney with the Natural Resources Defense Council’s water program. “The governor would be increasing the risk to citizens in that state” because of his climate beliefs.Picture1

While I don’t appreciate FEMA strong-arming states over climate change, this scenario provides states a unique opportunity to extricate themselves from at least some policy-swaying federal funding. Because let’s face it, this latest manipulative stunt by FEMA is merely the most recent and most transparent case where the federal government has exercised political control over state governments through “strings-attached” funding offers.

The history of “baited” federal funding is long and treacherous. From healthcare, education, and roads to this most recent disaster relief funding, the federal government has regularly used funding promises to enforce its own standards in contradiction to the will of local governments.

We can’t say we believe in the sovereignty of states and the importance of local governments when our local governments are unwilling to refuse federal funds. Government bloat and centralization begins there, and it must be fixed there. FEMA wants to manipulate states into following its climate change agenda? So be it. How about this time, at least, we don’t bite.Dupe and Chains Picture6

 

 

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Ebola Outbreak Can Lead to Gun Confiscations, Martial Law


Complete Message

http://www.infowars.com/ebola-outbreak-can-lead-to-gun-confiscations-martial-law/

Police State Checkpoint
Police State Checkpoint. Several Coming to a Neighborhood Near You. The Obama administration is perpetrating the conditions required for a government-declared crisis. Image Credits: Public domain

by Kit Daniels | Infowars.com | August 5, 2014

Gun confiscations and martial law are both plausible government responses to an Ebola outbreak in America considering Comming Soon 02recent policies by the Obama administration and the fact that the military has been preparing for domestic deployment for the past several years.

Back in 2009, CNN reported that U.S. Northern Command (Northcom) wanted to “establish regional teams of military personnel to assist civilian authorities” in the event of a severe outbreak in America.

“The plan calls for military task forces to work in conjunction with the Federal Emergency Management Agency,” wrote CNN correspondent Barbara Starr. “There is no final decision on how the military effort would be manned, but one source said it would likely include personnel from all branches of the military.”

hitlerA few months prior, Air Force General Victor Renuart said Northcom would provide “assistance in support of civil authorities” during an epidemic, adding “when requested and approved by the Secretary of Defense or directed by the President, federal military forces will contribute to federal support.”

But Renuart also said that “U.S. Northcom does not wait for that call to action.”

Since then, the federal government created a new domestic command structure in which, during a government-declared emergency, the military police would work under FEMA and the Department of Homeland Security for domestic operations with the National Guard.

This command structure was leaked by a former MP, who secretly recorded a military briefing last September in which an army commander briefed him and other MPs on their domestic duties with FEMA during martial law, including escorting federal officials as they confiscate firearms from Americans.

“They did that in Katrina, right,” the commander said. “They just go on and take away people’s guns.”

fema

But to make things even worse, top military brass have been giving litmus tests to officers, from generals down to sergeants, asking them if they will disarm or even fire on U.S. citizens, according to retired U.S. Navy SEAL Benjamin Smith.

“Going back to the beginning of this administration, I’ve had friends within the community talking about how they were brought in and questioned with people from more towards the top side,” Smith told Infowars. “The questioning resulted in … do you feel comfortable disarming American citizens?”

“You can see that now with the shoving of a lot of the officers and stuff like that. We don’t have 100% track on it, but there’s a lot of funny things happening within the military.”

police_stateThis likely explains the removal of at least 197 military officers by the White House in the past five years.

And in power grabs directly pertaining to the current Ebola crisis, last week President Obama granted himself the power to apprehend and detain Americans who merely show signs of “respiratory illness” and the Center for Disease Control is even ready to quarantine Americans who are not sick at all.

 “Such stringent regulations have led to fears that an outbreak of a dangerous communicable disease in the United States would lead to massive abuse of power by the federal government and the imposition of martial law,” journalist Paul Joseph Watson wrote.

By opening America’s borders and by allowing Ebola patients into the U.S., the Obama administration is perpetrating the conditions required for a government-declared crisis which could easily result in the deployment of military assets within the country and the disarmament of Americans.

The Obama administration is placing its chess pieces on the board to checkmate gun owners, and a potential Ebola outbreak could be just the crisis that leads to such an endgame.ebola

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U.S. Army Training to Fight Black Americans


National Day of Protest with dateAmerica the movie with hyperlink

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

http://www.infowars.com/video-shows-u-s-national-guard-training-to-detain-african-americans-in-prison-camps/

“Doomsday Disneyland” facility used as practice ground for civil unrest

by Paul Joseph Watson | July 17, 2014

A promotional video touting FEMA’s emergency response capabilities shows U.S. National Guard troops training to detain unruly African-American citizens in prison camps before handing them over to police.

WATCH BELOW:

fema

Imperial President ObamaThe video appears on the official YouTube channel for Guardian Centers, an 830 acre “disaster preparedness and tactical training validation center” located in Georgia which is routinely used by FEMA and other government agencies to practice emergency response procedures.

After the 2 minute mark in the clip, the scene cuts to a black woman who is struggling to escape from the clutches of a uniformed soldier. The area is surrounded by concertina wire and guarded by other troops.

The clip then shows the woman, along with another African-American, being handed over to local police before being driven away.

Described by CNN as the “doomsday Disneyland,” Guardian Centers is a mock city complete with a subway station that “allow(s) a variety of responders to do a variety of drills in one location.”

The sight of National Guard troops training to detain Americans in prison camps is unlikely to quell concerns that authorities are preparing for domestic disorder.

Back in 2012, we reported on FM 3-39.40 Internment and Resettlement Operations, a U.S. Army manual that describes how political activists in prison camps will be indoctrinated by specially assigned psychological operations officers. The document makes numerous references to how government agencies like the DHS, ICE and FEMA will be involved in the domestic internment of U.S. citizens during “civil support operations.”

A second US Army Military Police manual that was leaked months later also outlined how military assets would be used domestically to quell riots, confiscate firearms and even kill Americans on U.S. soil during mass civil unrest.

plan of action

police_stateU.S. troops and National Guard also worked with local police to incarcerate Americans in detention camps during drills Alex Jones covered in 1999 in Oakland, California.

A report produced in 2008 by the U.S. Army War College’s Strategic Institute warned that the United States may experience massive civil unrest in the wake of a series of crises which it termed “strategic shock.”

“Widespread civil violence inside the United States would force the defense establishment to reorient priorities in extremis to defend basic domestic order and human security,” stated the report, authored by [Ret.] Lt. Col. Nathan Freir, adding that the military may be needed to quell “purposeful domestic resistance”.

Comming Soon 02

Rex 84, short for Readiness Exercise 1984, was established under the pretext of a “mass exodus” of illegal aliens crossing the Mexican/US border.

kingobamafingerconstitution-300x204During the Iran-Contra hearings in 1987, however, it was revealed that the program was a secretive “scenario and drill” developed by the federal government to suspend the Constitution, declare martial law, assign military commanders to take over state and local governments, and detain large numbers of American citizens determined by the government to be “national security threats.”

Despite innumerable indications that the federal government is making preparations for riots, the Department of Homeland Security denied last year that it was gearing up for domestic disorder. In 2011, DHS chief Janet Napolitano directed ICE to prepare for a mass influx of immigrants into the United States, calling for the plan to deal with the “shelter” and “processing” of large numbers of people.

In the video below, Alex Jones highlights how the Guardian Centers video is yet another startling indication that authorities in the United States are preparing for civil unrest as America increasingly begins to resemble a militarized police state.

WATCH BELOW:

fema 2

Facebook @ https://www.facebook.com/paul.j.watson.71
FOLLOW Paul Joseph Watson @ https://twitter.com/PrisonPlanet

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Paul Joseph Watson is the editor at large of Infowars.com and Prison Planet.com.

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