FEMA funding could halt to communities in need as government shutdown looms: "We can't mess around with this"
CBSN
With just nine days left to pass crucial legislation and avert a federal government shutdown, the Federal Emergency Management Agency is watching closely. A FEMA budget that's already tight and an impasse in Congress over a bill to keep the government open beyond Sept. 30 — when funding for federal agencies runs out — are threatening to slow aid to communities recovering from natural disasters.
FEMA is running short on money and has indefinitely paused its spending and reimbursement on some long-term recovery projects.
Vermont Democratic Sen. Peter Welch said while the money will eventually be restored, there are concerns in communities affected by natural disasters this summer — where FEMA money is desperately needed.
President Biden on Monday signed into law a defense bill that authorizes significant pay raises for junior enlisted service members, aims to counter China's growing power and boosts overall military spending to $895 billion despite his objections to language stripping coverage of transgender medical treatments for children in military families.
It's Christmas Eve, and Santa Claus is suiting up for his annual voyage from the North Pole to households around the world. In keeping with decades of tradition, the North American Aerospace Command, or NORAD, will once again track Santa's journey to deliver gifts to children before Christmas 2024, using an official map that's updated consistently to show where he is right now.
An anti-money laundering law called the Corporate Transparency Act, or CTA, appears to have been given new life after an appeals court on Monday determined its rules can be enforced as the case proceeds. The law requires small business owners to register with the Financial Crimes Enforcement Network, or FinCEN, by Jan. 1, or potentially pay fines of up to $10,000.