Kristi Noem Fast-Tracked Millions in Disaster Aid to Florida Tourist Attraction After Campaign Donor Intervened

[demmiblue]

Source: ProPublica

For months, the complaints have rolled in from parts of the country hit by natural disasters: The Federal Emergency Management Agency was moving far too slowly in sending aid to communities ravaged by floods and hurricanes, including in central Texas and North Carolina. Many officials were blaming Kristi Noem, the homeland security secretary, whose agency oversees FEMA.

“I can’t get phone calls back,” Ted Budd, the Republican senator from North Carolina, told a newspaper this month, describing his attempts to reach Noem’s office. “I can’t get them to initiate the money. It’s just a quagmire.” The delays were caused in part by a new policy announced by DHS that requires Noem’s personal sign-off on expenses over $100,000, several news outlets reported.

But records obtained by ProPublica show how one locality found a way to get FEMA aid more quickly: It asked one of Noem’s political donors for help.

The records show that Noem quickly expedited more than $11 million of federal money to rebuild a historic pier in Naples, Florida, after she was contacted by a major financial supporter last month. The pier is a tourist attraction in the wealthy Gulf Coast enclave and was badly damaged by Hurricane Ian in 2022.

Read more: https://www.propublica.org/article/kristi-noem-fema-florida-naples-sinan-gursoy

[yardwork]

1. We live in a banana republic.

[Lovie777]

2. This is where our tax payer's money is going..............

plus supporting ICE.

FEMA will lack the resources in a major disaster, just look at Texas flooding recently.

[popsdenver]

9. FEMA

has been extremely lucky this year, not having a hurricane hit Florida or the Gulf Coast this entire season, so far............

leaving all kinds of money to reward their top donors...............

Who was the Frenchman? when we were just starting our country who stated:

"Democracy will work, until some people, or groups of people figure out they can vote themselves money....."

[sinkingfeeling]

3. Can you spell "corruption"?

[TimeToGo]

4. A government of favors and reprisals

[truthisfreedom]

5. Pay to play politics... third world country stuff.

We’ve devolved. Sigh.

[travelingthrulife]

6. Full blown corruption.

Well...GOP now you are complaining about the events we warned you were coming.

The difference, is that the GOP has zero ethical issue with twisting federal arms to get what they want.

[Grins]

7. A damn pier? Damaged by Hurricane Ian - in 2022? NM

[EarthFirst]

8. That's how this works now...

The states in the Northeast and /California/PNW should not expect a similar outcome.

To be quite honest ought to threaten to escrow their federal tax monies to ensure disaster assistance become readily available when needed.