Congress: An Unnatural Disaster

Opening Arguments

OA 1076: In the wake of the devastation left by hurricanes Helene and Milton, we examine the state of FEMA’s Congressional funding. Has disaster relief actually become a “partisan” issue, or is this really just a Republican thing? How are these funds distributed, and why can’t Congress ever seem to fully fund anything? Matt explains why the current state of Congressional appropriations has him looking for flights to Denmark. Then: Why is Ron DeSantis’s Department of Health threatening to bring criminal charges against local TV stations airing pro-choice ads in support of Florida’s proposed Amendment 4?

Finally, we drop a footnote to check in on the current state of the longest-running criminal trial in Georgia history and listen in on what the judge most recently assigned to the Young Thug RICO case has had to say to Fani Willis’s office about how they are handling it.

• “Disaster Relief Fund State of Play: In Brief,” Congressional Research Service (8/14/2024)

• “The Congressional Appropriations Process: An Introduction,” Congressional Research Service (11/30/2016)

• Letter sent by Florida Department of Health General Counsel John Wilson to WFLA-TV dated 10/3/2024

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