…the fact that I don’t know and couldn’t possibly find out because there are no news sources I can trust shows just how incompetent, biased and pernicious American journalism has become.
It is unethical, I resent it, I’m disgusted with it, and I condemn it, none of which does any good.
Republicans in general and President Trump in particular have been harshly criticizing the FEMA response to Hurricane Helene, Trump in his usual meat-axe fashion. Naturally, CNN rushed to the Biden Administration’s rescue with this “factcheck” replete with a denial that Harris “stole” FEMA funds as if anyone seriously believed Trump meant “stole” literally, or that Harris was literally a thief. The Axis mainstream media would rather do this deflection than report the far more consequential issue that FEMA is claiming it has run out of money for American disaster relief while the Biden Administration is spending like the proverbial drunken sailor on Ukraine, “humanitarian assistance” to Gaza, and dealing with the consequences of it disastrous border policies.
DEI incompetent Dept. of Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas, while touring the carnage in North Carolina, told the press that the Federal Emergency Management Agency was going to run out of money because the budget is currently working under a “continuing resolution” until after the election, a situation he does not regard as “stable.” I get it: it’s the Republicans’ fault:
Reporter: And is there any update on the estimate of how much this is going to cost the federal government and how much you would be seeking from Congress for help?
Mayorkas: “So, as I mentioned, we have the immediate needs right now. On a continuing resolution, we have funds, but that is not a stable source of supply, if you will….
Reporter: “You know, we have two months left in hurricane season. Can you just characterize a little bit — if you don’t get more funding, how much trouble are we in if another big storm hits? Does that translate in lives lost?”
Mayorkas: “Well, there — there are a couple things. It’s very important to note that even though we’re on a continuing resolution, we — we do — can obtain spend-fast funds so that we can dip into funds that are slated for the duration of the year to meet immediate needs. So, we — we are meeting the moment. But that doesn’t speak about the future and the fact, as I mentioned earlier, that these extreme weather events are increasing in frequency and severity, and we have to be funded for the sake of the American people. This is not a political issue.”
Hack. The Biden Adminitration has screwed up, as usual, so this shouldn’t be a political issue. Mayorkas neatly defaults to climate change cant, but the truth is that there is no evidence that hurricanes are increasing in intensity, and the dire prediction of more storms hasn’t materialized. But even if it had, why wasn’t FEMA prepared? After all, this administration is a fan of Greta Thunberg. Only three months ago, Mayorkas said that FEMA was “tremendously prepared” for the hurricane season. Of course, he also has said that the “border is secure.”
FEMA sent out a press release on August 23rd stating that it had $1.98 billion allocated for “Fiscal Year 2024 Preparedness Grants.” This week, the Department of Homeland Security announced final allocations of nearly $724 million in six Fiscal Year 2024 competitive preparedness grant programs. This included $454.5 million in funding for the Nonprofit Security Grant Program, an increase of $149.5 million from Fiscal Year 2023. That program will provide critical funding for faith-based groups and others. These, combined with the more than $1.25 billion in non-competitive grant funding announced earlier this year, total almost $1.98 billion in Fiscal Year 2024 supposedly to have FEMA ready for public assistance in the event of natural disasters and other catastrophes.
Meanwhile, FEMA’s “Shelter and Services Program,” administered by the agency in partnership with U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP), provides financial support to non-federal entities for humanitarian services to “non-citizen migrants”—substantially illegal immigrants— following their release from the Department of Homeland Security. Thus…
Oh! That’s nice! So why is CNN defending the Biden Administration, Harris and FEMA when this appears to be gross mis-allocations of funds and distorted priorities to the detriment of American citizens in a time of need? Well, Trump isn’t using precise words, see. But the other reason is to deflect criticism of the Democrats near the election, so they won’t be held accountable by voters.
Anderson Cooper and others were telling lone CNN ethical journalist Scott Jennings that criticizing the hurricane response was suddenly unpatriotic, or something. Jennings replied,
“I lived through Hurricane Katrina in the Bush White House, as I know you lived through it Anderson, covering it, and I don’t recall any restraint by Democrats or the national media coming after George W. Bush and FEMA and every other thing. It was immediately politicized, and, you know, I mean, I well remember it. It’s seared into my brain.
And so now, all these people are out here saying, “We can’t politicize this, we can’t criticize this,” you know, nothing can be said about Biden and Harris here or FEMA or anything else, and I just think, if a Republican were in the White House, and a Republican president were at the beach, and the vice president were raising money with celebrities, I guarantee you somebody would be mad about it.
Jennings understated the double standards we are seeing here, but I guess he has a job to keep. When FEMA was stumbling after Katrina, Kanye West told the national audience for a Katrina telethon that the reason for the unsatisfactory response was that George Bush and the Republicans were racists and didn’t care about black Americans. The news media hammered Bush (“Brownie, you’re doing a heck of a job!”) then; now every outlet but Fox is giving as little coverage to the hurricane damage as it can. I watch the Direct TV “News Mix,” and it has been almost comical. Fox News is set in between MSNBC and CNN, and Fox has featured interviews with hurricane victims and FEMA indictments almost non-stop, book-ended by panels talking about how evil J.D. Vance and Trump are on the channels flanking it
“What’s going on here?” I honestly have no idea. It’s just competing partisan propaganda. We are a month ahead of an election, and there is no way to objectively assess how our government is functioning, or whether it is functioning at all. Is FEMA actively blocking private relief efforts into the stricken regions? I can’t tell: the conservative and progressive media are telling different stories, and neither is trustworthy.
The threat to our democracy isn’t coming from Donald Trump.
Ethics Alarms 
And…
The truck drivers who thought they’d have jobs bringing in lots of supplies and disaster relief things have made videos showing them going to their aps to pick up routes thinking it would be full of jobs and there are NONE. Zero.
He said in his entire life he’s never seen this and it concerned him.
Not ready to believe it’s about the lithium there and the people who didn’t want them there…
but at this point? who knows.
Indeed. Who knows?
During Katrina, Blackhawks picking up people on roofs were ubiquitous in news broadcasts and that was with the condemnation of Bush’s response. I have seen little to no coverage of military or law enforcement aerial assets rescuing anyone. All I see are private small copters taking water and star-link systems to affected areas.
The reason given for denying access is that the Leo’s don’t want untrained persons doing relief work as it could put everyone involved in jeopardy. On its face that seems reasonable but to deny a helicopter or drone to operate to proved supplies and intel seems unreasonable.
I say this over and over again because I believe it to be true…
I know for sure that I don’t believe a word of what comes out of the mouths of the Democrat’s political machine, not a single word, period. In my opinion, the false facade of moderation, tolerance and support for the Constitution is completely gone for the political left and the ends justify the means is now the foundation of all they do and say.
Lastly; I am sick and tired of unsupportable propaganda claims from both sides of the political aisle. When it comes to politics and those seeking to gain power via elections, everywhere I look I see overwhelming signs of moral bankruptcy. Whatever happened to truth, honesty, respect and integrity.
Something else I’ve been saying for a while now…
Be safe my friends, stay away from metropolitan areas if you can and by all means, keep your powder dry. I think we’re in for a very rough ride.
CNN rushed to the Biden Administration’s rescue with this “factcheck” replete with a denial that Harris “stole” FEMA funds as if anyone seriously believed Trump meant “stole” literally, or that Harris was literally a thie
Well here are a few people who certainly believe it:
https://x.com/raptorseventy/status/1842906608885531054?s=46
https://x.com/halle2017/status/1843003592975827164?s=46
https://x.com/snowflake_news/status/1842003090322383218?s=46
https://x.com/amander46/status/1842963852029505587?s=46
Unfortunately there are many people out there who believe everything Trump say and take him at his word. So, it’s definitely important to fact check Trump’s falsehoods as much as we can to stop the spread of misinformation.
DD
Characteristically, you miss the point. CNN is obscuring the fact that the Biden administration botched the hurricane response, , trying to focus public attention on Trump’s sloppy rhetoric. CNN’s job is to inform the public of what happened. It doesn’t do that.
but do you agree with what I said at least? I’m responding to one, of many points, you made in your post.
DD
Denver Dave,
None of the examples you gave meant they believed Harris LITERALLY stole the money. No one believes Harris or Mayorkis took the money for their own use.
The point is that FEMA funds are for natural disasters not ones created by political machinations. Misappropriating funds designated for shelter and food during natural disasters and using them to fund the costs of an open border policy the was FORESEEABLE is the issue.
If you want to stop the spread of misinformation you need to explain why someone is wrong rather than simply claiming something is a falsehood. Your implication is that nothing was taken that was not originally appropriated for its use. That too is misinformation. Congress never intended for FEMA funds for resettlement costs of non-citizens.
Congress never intended for FEMA funds for resettlement costs of non-citizens.
Bingo!
Denver Dave is impressing me. He’s shown a lot of restraint. He tosses out a talking point and then a lame follow up, and then stops. He doesn’t keep spouting talking points and get himself banned. He seems to realize a banned paid troll is not able to keep gumming up the works and report having done so to his masters at the DNC.
Old Bill,
I don’t know why you keep implying that he is a PAID troll.
Most trolls work pro bono.
-Jut
There are a lot of people claiming that FEMA is going into schools and other places and taking the fundraising money for Helene victims. There is even video of a city police officer doing it. There are police scanner recordings of police discussing how FEMA is demanding that all relief supplies be turned over to them. Now, there is the possibility that people POSING as FEMA are doing this as a scam, but the world is so crazy, you can’t tell anymore.
Regarding the use of funds to resettle migrants and running out of money for disasters the outrage can be explained with this analogy.
Mom gives $20 to her fifteen year old to pay for lunch for him and his ten year old brother. At lunch, the older boy buys himself an $8.50 meal consisting of a Whopper, fries and a large drink and offers to buy a female he likes lunch as well. She orders the same $8.50 lunch and the ten year old brother is left with $3 for his lunch which allows him a basic hamburger and small drink.
Did the older boy do as his mom told him or did he manipulate the instructions to suit his personal wants?
It really does not matter what language is used to describe the what the older boy did except in a courtroom where the word stole has a specific meaning. We can use lots of other terms but the outcome remains the same.
It appeared, at the time, that Katrina was the first time the national press really pushed the idea that the Feds were responsible for handling weather crises. Prior to that, things seemed to be mostly dealt with by local and state authorities.
Of course during Katrina, A Republican was president, and democrats were running New Orleans and Louisiana, where, directed by them, the most botched responses occurred. A Republican was governor of Mississippi, which had similar coastal damage, but handled it competently.
My father pointed out that the federal cost to help Katrina victims (not infrastructure) worked out to over $60,000/person (not family). If we had just given them $60,000/person, wouldn’t that have been a lot more efficient and beneficial? OK, there are reasonable processing fees, let’s say $5000/person, so they each get $55,000/person. That just shows you the cost of the bureaucracy. The real breakdown was more like $5000/person in relief supplies and benefits and $55,000 in government costs/person. We really can’t afford this type of ‘help’ and it is one of the reasons we are in such debt.
Well, they better get ready for Milton which is bearing down on Tampa Bay as a Cat. 4.
Expected to go to Category 5 soon – current winds are 150 with Cat 5 starting at 157
The current projection is strengthen to 5 then back to 4 just before landfall. Not good, heading for Tampa
A very good friend scheduled a week-long trip to Disney and went down last Friday. She is wisely getting out today and flying back.
That storm looks pretty sinister, and it’s all the more bad knowing that FEMA won’t have any aid to give them. Mayorkas might as well start redirecting calls to that phone in the desert.
Jack, I’m a little late to this post. I see you are familiar with the FEMA website. If you really want your head to explode, check out the strategic plan section. FEMA details that their number one priority for the future is to “Instill Equity as a Foundation of Emergency Management.” There is also a bit in there about the Justice40 Initiative. If you don’t know, that is an Executive Order signed by Biden right after he took office. It lays out a plan stipulating federal grants to spend at least 40% of their funds on underserved (read: not white) communities. FEMA has initiated this in two of their mitigation grant programs, which seems to me a direct violation of civil rights law and the Stafford Act.
An anecdotal account that might lend support to this, though admittedly, this is second-hand:
An EF4 tornado hit Greenfield, IA in May, doing significant damage to the town. A former neighbor of ours (and very good friend) grew up there and went there to help her father (who still lives there and lost his garage) with cleanup. She said when FEMA reps came around, they were asking three questions: 1) your identified gender, 2) your race, 3) your date of birth. She said they were cutting checks depending on the answers given.
Again, I have no way to verify that, but given what they have on their site, it is plausible. And it’s discrimination. And it’s illegal.
Something that immediately struck me reading this post. There is a lot of talk about funds allocated for FY 2024, and some talk about the continuing resolution.
Well, Fiscal Year 2024 ended September 30, 2024. We are now in FY 2025 and that is the fiscal year the continuing resolution is for.
So, to me, that means that no money has yet to be spent for the current fiscal year, or very little. The continuing resolution would be making funds available for this fiscal year based on the actual appropriations for FY2024.
I.e. there should be lots of money available that hasn’t yet been …. misallocated … from available funds.
If they spent all of last year’s money on illegal immigrants — that was then, this is now.