"The Department of Housing and Urban Development does not know when it will release $16 billion in disaster mitigation funds to Texas, Puerto Rico, Louisiana and other states that have suffered from major disasters since 2015.
The agency pushed back Friday against critics who say the Trump administration is dragging its feet on delivering the money to flood- and fire-ravaged communities. Congress appropriated the money in February 2018.
A HUD official said on background that the agency is using the time to "build a [grant] program from the ground up." The delay comes as President Trump considers declaring a national emergency to build a wall along the border with Mexico."
Source: ClimateWire, 02/05/2019
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