Obama diverts $1 billion in Sandy funds away from New Jersey
Kyrillos and Holzapfel cry foul
Sen. Joe Kyrillos
President Barack Obama announced that he is diverting nearly $1 billion in Hurricane Sandy recovery funds away from New Jersey and New York to fund a nationwide resiliency competition that will ostensibly help the winning communities build infrastructure to deal with the impacts of climate change.
Obama announced the competition last weekend at the University of California Irvine’s commencement, according to The Star Ledger.
“In some parts of the country, weather-related disasters like droughts and fires and storms and floods are going to get … harsher and they’re going to get costlier,” Obama said during the speech. “That’s why today I’m announcing a new one billion dollar competitive fund to help communities prepare for the impacts of climate change and build more resilient infrastructure across the country.”
State Senators Joe Kyrillos (R-Monmouth)and Jim Holzapfel (R-Ocean)l condemned the diversion of recovery funds away from their constituents.
The federal government continues to drop the ball on Sandy recovery,” said Holzapfel (R-Ocean). “First, we had to shame Congress into passing a disaster recovery package for Sandy victims after months of inaction. Now, President Obama has announced that HUD will divert $1 billion of Sandy aid away from New Jersey, while thousands of our home and business owners remain stuck in a mountain of federal red tape and are still in need of help. HUD should scrap that plan and spend every penny of Sandy aid where it is needed most, along the Jersey Shore.”
“It’s outrageous that while thousands of New Jersey families and businesses along the shore are still waiting for aid, remaining funding allocated by Congress for these very type of recovery needs is now being put up for grabs as a contest prize,” said Kyrillos (R-Monmouth). “New Jersey has never gotten its fair share of the Sandy aid funding and we have never learned why New York State has received approximately twice as much money even though our losses are roughly the same. This funding should immediately be returned to those devastated by Sandy who need it most.”
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I can understand the BIG PUSH for incorporating the designs required based on the recent federal Climate Change report … but other than the administration overhead of the Sandy funds all monies allocated already require strict compliance to FEMA’s recognition of future mitigation of risk. So why divert funds for yet more studies as opposed to implementation NOW for reconstruction that restores value to those severely damaged as well as mitigate risk?
[…] By Art Gallagher | MoreMonmouthMusings.com […]
But I thought President, um, I mean Governor Christie said everything was back to normal?
This is terrible. Can you tell us where you got this info from? I tried researching it and can’t find anything on it. I hope it’s not true.
Thanks,
A person waiting
And who can’t forget the picture of Chris “Fat Boy RINO” Christie speaking of how the Bama had “taken charge” was going to make everything right, just before the election.
Of the $50 billion in disaster relief aid approved by Congress in 2013, $16 billion was set aside in Community Development Block Grants. Federal spending cuts reduced that amount to $15.2 billion.
The U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development has so far allocated roughly $13 billion to areas impacted by Sandy, with the majority of that funding awarded to New York state, New York City and New Jersey.
More than $1 billion in funding from the grant program has already been awarded to other areas of the country hit by natural disasters, according to HUD.
After reports of HUD’s plans to direct $1 billion or more in remaining aid to a national resiliency competition emerged, area lawmakers railed against the idea, saying the Sandy-affected region should get first dibs on the money.
@”Can you tell us where you got this info from? I tried researching it and can’t find anything on it. I hope it’s not true.”
No need to “keep hoping.” Instead, change your sources of news. This is from the Star-Ledger article cited in the MMM report above:
“Erin O’Neill/The Star-Ledger By Erin O’Neill/The Star-Ledger
on June 16, 2014 at 11:36 AM
“President Barack Obama announced the contest this weekend during a commencement address at the University of California at Irvine, saying the country must deal with the threat of climate change now.
“In some parts of the country, weather-related disasters like droughts and fires and storms and floods are going to get … harsher and they’re going to get costlier,” Obama said during the speech. “That’s why today I’m announcing a new one billion dollar competitive fund to help communities prepare for the impacts of climate change and build more resilient infrastructure across the country.”
Ok, there is no climate change, period. None. It’s a lie. Follow the money. Now the libs and Obama manage to grab more to trumpet their fake concern over Globull Warming to pander for the votes of the sheep. Democrats and progressives get everything wrong and now this. A money grab. What a joke. I guess you can call real NJ victims of Sandy now victims of climate change. I can puke. Go play another round of golf and preach silly climate change on the taxpayers dime while sandy victims suffer and Iraq burns, VA patients wait the IRS lies and plots and the progressive Americans swoon for this creep. You are witnessing the slippery slope. What an Idiot. What a joke this president is.
Disgusted. Ok progressive fools. Now go drive your SUVs to Starbucks and pat yourselves on the back for being so enlightened about “the settled science” but afraid to debate. Yes you sheep hide behind this silly meme most of you fooled by the huckster Obama, the rest complicit.. As I witness a money grab. How’s it feel to be duped? Or just part of the plan. Globull Warming is such a concern with the rising seas. So likely that most victims of sandy rebuilt bigger, more expensive homes 6 feet from the oceans edge. So worried. I heard Al Gore has one of those beach front homes. Yes. So worried.