I recognize that my friends on the left are true believers. They truly believe that the left owns the moral, ethical, and legal high ground. For them, it seems that all leftist causes are righteous. Unassailably, totally righteous. And woe be he or she who would interrupt or interfere with that righteousness.
Uh, sorry. No. Our Constitution does NOT provide for a 4th branch of government. There is no separate and permanent bureaucracy, untethered and outside the control of any of the other three. I do realize that you on the left can find Federal judges who are fellow travelers and fellow true believers who, like you, believe the kinds of things USAID, FEMA, DOE, and other government agencies have been spending our money on is righteous and unassailable. But I have read our Constitution, and if you ask me, USAID, FEMA, DOE, DOD, etc., etc., all fall under the Executive Branch of the government and Donald J. Trump is the head of the Executive Branch.
I love the argument (sarcasm) that "it's only half a billion" and "it's less than 1% of the Federal Budget." Oh, okay. Then waste as much as you want on whatever you want (end sarcasm). I'm not going to make a long list here of spending I think is insane, immoral, and unacceptable. I will say none of it sits on moral high ground, I don't give a shit how many times you scream and screech and piss, moan, and complain. If you are more concerned about who is looking, and in believing the places these things are being found are unassailable and untouchable, and aren't at all concerned about how far over the line reasonable people see as the end of acceptability, we have nothing to talk about.
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| It wasn't long ago, FEMA pushed hurricane victims in western NC out of their hotels in winter, but FEMA continues to rent blocks of rooms in luxury hotels in NYC to house illegal immigrants. |
"People will die!" "Children will starve!" "You're throwing the baby out with the bathwater!" I love that last analogy, and here's why. Before we can decide whether to throw out the baby, drain the bathwater, or both, don't we first need to stop the flow from the faucet? The discussion is meaningless if the tub continues filling from an endless flow.
The only way for things to truly get better is for the infighting within the Republican Party to stop and, like the Democrats, get in line and unite. The Republicans should compromise within themselves for the good of our country, PERIOD!
ReplyDeleteI looked it up myself and found that the Secretary of Homeland Security has the power to prioritize certain contracts.
ReplyDeleteThe FEMA Associate Administrator for Policy and Program Analysis oversees how FEMA uses the Federal Priorities and Allocations System (FPAS).
The Transportation and Infrastructure Committee of the House of Representatives conducts ongoing oversight of FEMA's management of emergencies and natural disasters.
Are you saying FEMA is not part of the Executive Branch? Personally, I'm not a fan of telling North Carolina hurricane victims there's not enough money to help y'all in your greatest time of need, because all our southern hospitality has been exported to places where it is more badly needed, by people who need it more than NC hurricane victims. Progressives across our country, and particularly in the Biden Administration created and exacerbated the migrant crisis. FEMA shelled out billions to address that crisis, leaving North Carolinians out in the cold. If the Trump Administration and DOGE hadn't have put this information into the sunlight, the American people might not be fully aware of where progressive priorities lie. Sunlight is the best disinfectant.
DeleteHere are the facts: ▪ The funds that Musk appears to be referring to are payments made by the Shelter and Services Program (SSP), a grant program that allocates funds to local governments and organizations to provide shelter and other services for migrants. The program is funded from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection budget, and the funds are administered by FEMA. It replaced a similar program that began in 2019, during the first Trump administration. ▪ The funding for that program was not allocated by the Biden administration, but by Congress. For the 2024 fiscal year, Congress appropriated $650 million for the program through the Department of Homeland Security budget. Every Republican representing North Carolina in Congress — which, at the time, included Edwards — voted in favor of that bill. ▪ The funding was not “illegally diverted,” because SSP has its own funding that is completely separate from the funding allocated to FEMA for disaster relief. ▪ The $59 million payment made to New York City last week was part of a larger reimbursement that was allocated to the city last year, The New York Times reported. And according to The Associated Press, the government has paid on average $152 a night for rooms, far from “luxury” rates. ▪ FEMA has repeatedly stressed that it has not “run out” of money for disaster relief, as some Republicans have claimed. While there may be valid complaints about how FEMA has managed Helene recovery efforts, insufficient funding is not the cause of them.
DeleteBY PAIGE MASTEN
DeleteFEBRUARY 13, 2025 5:00 AM The Charlotte Observer
Sorry didn’t realize I had to scroll down to ID myself.
ReplyDeleteThe DOE is part of the President’s Cabinet so it is overseen basically by the Executive branch.
ReplyDelete