News from the South - Kentucky News Feed

Dozens of members of Congress from both parties plead with Trump to unfreeze FEMA grants

Published

2 months ago

May 14, 2025

kentuckylantern.com – Jennifer Shutt – 2025-05-14 09:21:00

by Jennifer Shutt, Kentucky Lantern
May 14, 2025

WASHINGTON — Members of Congress from both political parties are calling on the Trump administration to unfreeze funding for a grant program that helps local communities better prepare for natural disasters.

The letter from more than 80 lawmakers urges the Federal Emergency Management Agency to begin spending money already approved by Congress for the Building Resilient Infrastructure and Communities program.

“The BRIC program was established by Congress in the 2018 Disaster Recovery Reform Act and signed into law by President (Donald) Trump with bipartisan support,” the two-page letter states. “In the years since, this program has catalyzed community investments in resilient infrastructure, saving federal funds by investing in community preparedness before a disaster strikes.”

The lawmakers wrote that BRIC grant funds go to a variety of projects and that the program has played “an essential role in helping Tribal Nations and rural communities strengthen their defenses against natural disasters and safeguard critical infrastructure.”

“Through BRIC, Tribes and rural communities can access dedicated funding to strengthen community resilience by investing in hazard mitigation projects—such as flood protection, fire prevention, and infrastructure hardening—that are otherwise difficult to finance in rural or remote settings,” the lawmakers wrote.

While the program “has room for improvement,” the lawmakers wrote that FEMA and Congress should work together “to improve the application review and funding distribution process to more effectively reduce the costs disasters pose to our communities, economies, and livelihoods.”

Maryland Democratic Sen. Chris Van Hollen, North Carolina Republican Sen. Thom Tillis, Washington state Democratic Sen. Patty Murray and Alaska Republican Sen. Lisa Murkowski led drafting the letter in their chamber.

Reps. Chuck Edwards, R-N.C.; Sylvia Garcia, D-Texas; Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa.; and Ed Case, D-Hawaii, spearheaded efforts in the House.

‘Beyond reckless’

FEMA announced in early April that it would unilaterally cancel all BRIC funding approved from fiscal years 2020 through 2023, calling the program “wasteful and ineffective” in a statement.

“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,” a FEMA spokesperson wrote in the statement. “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.”

The National Association of Counties wrote in a post about the cancellation that community leaders may “need to halt work or seek new funding sources” and “delay or scale back infrastructure investments.”

“Without access to BRIC’s federal match, counties may find it more difficult to pursue large-scale mitigation projects,” the NaCo post stated.

Association of State Floodplain Managers Executive Director Chad Berginnis wrote that dismantling the country’s “largest pre-disaster mitigation program is beyond reckless.”

“Cutting funding from projects already underway will leave states and communities scrambling, increasing disaster risk to families and businesses instead of reducing it,” Berginnis wrote. “The impact of this decision will be felt for decades to come.”

Kentucky Lantern is part of States Newsroom, a nonprofit news network supported by grants and a coalition of donors as a 501c(3) public charity. Kentucky Lantern maintains editorial independence. Contact Editor Jamie Lucke for questions: info@kentuckylantern.com.

The post Dozens of members of Congress from both parties plead with Trump to unfreeze FEMA grants appeared first on kentuckylantern.com

Note: The following A.I. based commentary is not part of the original article, reproduced above, but is offered in the hopes that it will promote greater media literacy and critical thinking, by making any potential bias more visible to the reader –Staff Editor.

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

This content presents information on a bipartisan initiative addressing disaster preparedness funding, highlighting cooperation between lawmakers from both major political parties. It includes perspectives criticizing a recent unilateral decision by FEMA to cancel funding, emphasizing practical concerns over resource allocation rather than ideological positions. The article refrains from partisan language, focusing instead on the implications for communities and infrastructure resilience, making the overall tone balanced and centrist.

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News from the South - Kentucky News Feed

Officials react to Senate passage of ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’

Published

10 hours ago

July 1, 2025

Staff Editor

www.wnky.com – WNKY Staff – 2025-07-01 11:25:00

SUMMARY: Sen. Mitch McConnell praised the Senate’s passage of the Reconciliation Bill, calling it a step toward securing the border, boosting American energy, supporting farmers, increasing working Kentuckians’ take-home pay, and preventing major tax hikes. However, he emphasized that more is needed for national defense, urging Congress to ensure robust funding beyond a one-time budget injection. Sen. Rand Paul expressed concerns about rising debt during the Vote-a-rama, offering support only if the bill included a 90% debt ceiling cut and true fiscal reform without earmarks or handouts. News 40 will continue providing updates on the bill’s progress.

Read the full article

The post Officials react to Senate passage of ‘One Big Beautiful Bill’ appeared first on www.wnky.com

News from the South - Kentucky News Feed

Senate votes 99-1 to remove AI moratorium from megabill

Published

11 hours ago

July 1, 2025

Staff Editor

kentuckylantern.com – Paige Gross – 2025-07-01 10:05:00

by Paige Gross, Kentucky Lantern
July 1, 2025

A moratorium on state-based artificial intelligence laws was struck from the “Big Beautiful Bill” Monday night in a 99-1 vote in the U.S. Senate, after getting less and less popular with state and federal lawmakers, state officials and advocacy groups since it was introduced in May.

The moratorium had evolved in the seven weeks since it was introduced into the megabill. At an early May Senate Commerce Committee session, Sen. Ted Cruz of Texas said it was in his plans to create “a regulatory sandbox for AI” that would prevent state overregulation and promote the United States’ AI industry.

GOP senators initially proposed a 10-year ban on all state laws relating to artificial intelligence, saying the federal government should be the only legislative body to regulate the technology. Over several hearings, congressional members and expert witnesses debated the level of involvement the federal government should take in regulating AI. They discussed state’s rights, safety concerns for the technology and how other governmental bodies, like the European Union, are regulating AI.

Over the weekend, Sen. Marsha Blackburn of Tennessee and Cruz developed a pared down version of the moratorium that proposed a five-year ban, and made exceptions for some laws with specific aims such as protecting children or limiting deepfake technologies. Changes over the weekend also tied state’s ability to collect federal funding to expand broadband access to their willingness to nullify their existing AI laws.

Monday night, an amendment to remove the moratorium from the budget bill — cosponsored by Blackburn and Sen. Maria Cantwell, a Washington Democrat — was passed 99-1.

“The Senate came together tonight to say that we can’t just run over good state consumer protection laws,” Cantwell said in a statement. “States can fight robocalls, deepfakes and provide safe autonomous vehicle laws. This also allows us to work together nationally to provide a new federal framework on Artificial Intelligence that accelerates U.S. leadership in AI while still protecting consumers.”

The “overwhelming” vote reflects how unpopular unregulated AI is among voters and legislators in both parties, said Alexandra Reeve Givens, president and CEO of the tech policy organization, Center for Democracy and Technology, in a statement.

“Americans deserve sensible guardrails as AI develops, and if Congress isn’t prepared to step up to the plate, it shouldn’t prevent states from addressing the challenge,” Reeve Givens said. “We hope that after such a resounding rebuke, Congressional leaders understand that it’s time for them to start treating AI harms with the seriousness they deserve.”

The post Senate votes 99-1 to remove AI moratorium from megabill appeared first on kentuckylantern.com

Political Bias Rating: Centrist

The content presents a balanced view of the debate over AI regulation, highlighting perspectives from both Republican and Democratic senators. It reflects bipartisan disagreements and cooperation on the issue without endorsing one side over the other. The article focuses on factual reporting of legislative actions, quoting representatives from both parties and experts, and avoids partisan language or framing, resulting in a centrist political bias.

News from the South - Kentucky News Feed

More downpours Tuesday, drier tomorrow

Published

17 hours ago

July 1, 2025

Staff Editor

www.youtube.com – WLKY News Louisville – 2025-07-01 04:22:16

SUMMARY: Meteorologist Matt Milosevic reports that Tuesday started with tropical-style humidity fueling heavy downpours and some thunderstorms, mainly in western areas near Corydon and along Interstate 65 in southern Indiana. Rain chances are highest in the morning, tapering off by midday as the system moves east. The afternoon will see drier conditions and lower humidity, making temperatures near 80 degrees more comfortable. Overnight, skies will clear, and Wednesday will bring sunshine with lower humidity and highs in the upper 80s to low 90s. Humidity will rise again by the weekend, with highs near 95 and potential storms Sunday night into Monday.