FEMA: The Swing State Project
So with their funding slashed to pay for George's War, what exactly did FEMA choose to do with the money it had?
Well, in 2003, they gave it to Jeb, of course:
FEMA has been under scrutiny since the Sun-Sentinel first reported in October that the agency was awarding millions of dollars in disaster funds to residents of Miami-Dade County, even though the county did not experience hurricane conditions. At Nelson's urging, the Senate Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee is investigating. Earlier this month, 14 Miami-Dade residents who received assistance were indicted on fraud charges.Just prior to an election year? Go on.
As of March 16, FEMA had given $31 million to 12,891 applicants in Miami-Dade for damage claimed from Frances.
(snip)
Even state officials were surprised at how quickly money flowed to Florida.
FEMA officials, the governor and the White House have steadfastly denied suggestions that politics played a role in the distribution of hurricane aid in Florida.Can we have a chorus of "the President can do what he wants with the money at his discretion?" That's always a timeless classic from the Chapstick and kneepads set.
"The men and women at FEMA don't give a patooey about who the president is or who the governor is," FEMA Director Michael D. Brown told the newspaper's editorial board in October. "Whenever people say stuff like that … we're just offended by that because that's just not how we operate."
(Hat tip to Old Fashioned Patriot)
posted by Jane Hamsher @ 9/03/2005 03:07:00 PM
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