The New York City comptroller’s office, which first noticed the missing money, said that the Federal Emergency Management Agency had unilaterally taken the funds from the city’s accounts.

To be clear: this isn’t the “we stopped paying promised grant money” but is literally the federal government yanking money out of an NYC bank account.

      • libertyforever@lemmy.world
        120·
        21 hours ago

        We have a huge deficit. A refund might make some sense if we end up with a surplus. We are nowhere near that.

        • Placebonickname@lemmy.world
          111·
          21 hours ago

          The fact that we have a deficit is immaterial to me. Just cause we have debts doesn’t mean the Gov can keep the money AND cut the programs. Rules on the books for new taxes are in place for a reason, if they aren’t going to use the tax money for its intended purpose, give it back…or pull the Senate and House together to authorize the new spending. BTW, they would have to tell us where that new spending is, and I don’t think Trump wants to do that, I think he wants to just keep the money like it’s his own, and loan it out in exchange for favors down the road.

        • RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world
          21·
          5 hours ago

          Funny how dems have been able to balance budgets and wind up with a surplus without engaging in wholesale butchery of programs that help and protect people.

          You do notice that, don’t you? Things that are being slashed are things that protect you, education, and feed people? Why not advocate for taxing the fuck out of corporations and billionaires instead of engaging in waving in the direction of “the deficit”.

          E: even more attacking of services: https://www.commondreams.org/news/house-budget-resolution

        • CouncilOfFriends@lemmy.world
          41·
          13 hours ago

          Trump ran budget deficits every year he was president, added trillions to the national debt with a tax giveaway to the wealthiest humans in the history of our planet, and before he was president a second time was trying to make Republicans shut down the government if the debt ceiling wasn’t eliminated entirely. Don’t hold your breath waiting for those tax cuts to trickle down, or for any cuts to ‘defense’ which is nearly half of all discretionary spending. The GOP plan is to further increase defense spending by an additional $100 billion, and $1.5 trillion in spending cuts which is not even half of their proposed $4.5 trillion tax cut. They only care about spending cuts when they can dogwhistle and lie to their base about $50 billion going to USAID just for condoms, despite their entire budget for aid to prevent foreign instability amounting to like, 3% or discretionary spending, because they have a very low estimation of their voters’ math abilities.

          • libertyforever@lemmy.world
            17·
            16 hours ago

            The Democrats pretty much never reverse Republican tax cuts, because they actually like these tax cuts. They know trickle down economics works even though they can’t say it out loud.

            • CouncilOfFriends@lemmy.world
              61·
              13 hours ago

              So you agree tax cuts for the rich are bad, or do you actually believe the wealth inequality and political bribery this enables is a net good? It’s clear the trickle-down bullshit doesn’t work as evidenced by stagnant wage growth.

              I would recommend supporting progressive candidates instead of simping for the people who enacted the laws which have destroyed our middle class. Pointing out corporate Democrats exist and vote with Republicans to protect their shared donors is valid, as long as you can recognize that Republicans cry about the deficit whenever they are not in power, and when in power spend like drunken sailors, increase military spending, and continue to use the deficit they grew as a cudgel to dismantle only the parts of the administrative state they disagree with. I’m not that stupid, and I doubt you are either.