FEMA Ends Wasteful, Politicized Grant Program, Returning Agency to Core Mission of Helping Americans Recovering from Natural Disasters Release Date: April 4, 2025 Under Secretary Noem, DHS is eliminating waste, fraud and abuse WASHINGTON - FEMA is ending the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities (BRIC) program and canceling all BRIC applications from Fiscal Years 2020-2023. If grant funds have not been distributed to states, tribes, territories and local communities, funds will be immediately returned either to the Disaster Relief Fund or the U.S. Treasury. Statement Attributable to a FEMA Spokesperson: "The BRIC program was yet another example of a wasteful and ineffective FEMA program. It was more concerned with political agendas than helping Americans affected by natural disasters. Under Secretary Noem's leadership, we are committed to ensuring that Americans in crisis can get the help and resources they need." Approximately $882 million of funding from the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act will be returned to the U.S. Treasury or reapportioned by Congress in the next fiscal year. The 2021 law made $1 billion available for BRIC over five years, $133 million to date has been provided for about 450 applications. FEMA estimates more than $3.6 billion will remain in the Disaster Relief Fund to assist with disaster response and recovery for communities and survivors. Ending this program will help ensure that grant funding aligns with the President's Executive Orders and Secretary Noem's direction and best support states and local communities in disaster planning, response and recovery.

While Kristi Noem’s out here blaming everyone but herself, here’s her own April press release bragging about clawing back $882M in disaster resilience grants. The kind that could’ve helped in Texas. They’d rather wage culture wars than actually protect human lives.

Cute little mouse… Rest here weary doom-scroller, you've seen enough bullshit for one day. @DDC

Signing Off… Good Night Y’all! 🐭

US ‘illegally deported’ Vietnamese and Burmese migrants to South Sudan Immigrant rights advocates say White House violated court order and ask judge to order nearly a dozen people’s return

Stop calling kidnapping and trafficking people to countries they’ve never been to “deporting.” It’s criminal behavior by a country with no conscience. www.theguardian.com/us-news/2025...

Bluesky is collegial and interesting, the way Twitter used to be. Bonus: most people can spell.

In case you hadn't noticed:

Hands Off! All across the country, people got out and protested today.

Hands Off!
open.substack.com/pub/joycevan...

I'll admit it. I love Jesus.
I just don't like any of his so-called friends.
I was raised on a gospel that said we must help the poor, feed the hungry and fight for those in prison.
When I see a politician playing the religion card I know people are about to be fleeced.
I don't trust any of them.

Someone sent me this sign, from the protests, it wasn’t theirs and they didn’t know who to give credit to but it’s my favorite.

Half of the United States has been slowly and carefully inculcated by Fox News to believe that the other half of the country is their enemy and out to ruin their lives. Once this was established, it didn't take long for those viewers to value hurting these other Americans over helping themselves.

Joy Marver, in a green hoodie, standing in front of the American flag. Text reads: "'It's like being erased out of thin air.' Joy Marver spent 22 years in service to the U.S. government before being fired and locked out of her office at the Department of Veterans Affairs." Photo by Erin Schaff/The New York Times

A veteran who returned injured from Iraq continued serving by working for the VA. She now faces a crisis at home, after the Department of Government Efficiency’s cuts targeted her job. nyti.ms/4hN4q8d

'Strange': Experts flummoxed as Pete Hegseth brings wife to sensitive meetings Pentagon chief Pete Hegseth found himself at the center of more questions Friday night after a new report said he brought his wife, former Fox News producer, to a pair of meetings with foreign militar...

'Strange': Experts flummoxed as Pete Hegseth brings wife to sensitive meetings

www.rawstory.com/pete-hegseth...

RFK, Jr. is an idiot. The fact that such an ignorant, evil person has *any* say-so in our nation's health shows how broken America is right now and how vile and stupid Donald Trump is.

Considering his Legal & Ethical record, you would think the painting would be the lowest priority for this 34 times convicted, perpetual grievance monkey.

Turns out, you would be wrong...

#Pathetic 😁

A Lawless President's Contempt The crisis facing our democracy is escalating. How long will the courts and the people stand for it?

A Lawless President's Contempt
open.substack.com/pub/america/...

When Donald Trump lawlessly went after ordinary Americans, Chief Justice John Roberts didn't care.

But now that Trump is taking aim at Roberts' fellow judges, Roberts suddenly cares.

It's always the same with conservatives, they don't care until something affects them.

More of Trump's descent into dictatorship Two illegal firings that will increase prices for consumers and concentrate more power in Trump's hands — unless the courts stop him.

More of Trump's descent into dictatorship
open.substack.com/pub/robertre...

Chicago crowd tonight was *incredible*. Important for everyone to be spending time with each other right how. It may not feel like it right now, but we’re gonna win.

If we are deporting all men who have extremist tattoos without hearings, this dude would be in El Salvador by now.

🇺🇸💙🇺🇸💙🇺🇸💙🇺🇸💙🇺🇸💙

Americans aren't just going to pay more for things from Canada and Mexico because Donald Trump is an idiot.

They are also going to pay more for goods from the United States, as American producers use the expectation of higher prices to gouge.

Top Security Officials at Aid Agency Put on Leave After Denying Access to Musk Team Workers at the U.S. Agency for International Development are bracing for a loss of its independent status and sweeping layoffs as President Trump continues slashing foreign aid.

Breaking News: Two top officials at the U.S. Agency for International Development are said to have been put on leave after refusing to give representatives of Elon Musk access to a secure area.

"We're going to dynamite the US economy because Canada should have given NATO a few more dollars" is so simple-minded.

And, BTW, JD Vance famously wrote about his mother's problems with drugs. She didn't get them from Canada. She stole them from her American patients at the hospital she worked at.

Tell me again who won in the fight between David and Goliath.

American Christians are so ignorant about their "holy" book.

Tariff-inflated prices pass the pain along to consumers, many of whom voted for Trump.
Good job, asshole.

An unelected billionaire who has received *billions* of dollars from the US government to keep his businesses afloat, currently has unfettered access to the system that processes such payments. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

To all Canadians:

You have a wonderful, rational, kind country with amazing healthcare.

Sorry that your stupid neighbor to the south elected an irresponsible imbecile who has started a wholly unnecessary trade war with you.

But we aren't too embarrassed to apologize.