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The civil rights organization alleged that the state’s rollout of federal dollars has favored whiter communities, even as Jackson has struggled to comply with state and federal guidelines meant to protect drinking water quality. The NAACP’s federal complaint raises concerns about a loan program overseen by the state Department of Health that distributes federal funding to communities to improve their water systems. Problems with water billing and collections have also resulted in Jackson missing out on sorely needed revenue that could go toward repairs. The EPA’s inquiry comes just days after the launch of a congressional investigation concerning the city’s water crisis. Reps. Bennie Thompson, D-Miss., and Carolyn Maloney, D-N.Y., have asked Reeves to answer a series of questions about how the state has spent or plans to spend federal funds that can upgrade water systems in the state.

☆ Trump Properties Charged Excessive Rates to Government, House Democrats Say
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Siobhan Hughes | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—House Democrats said a long-running probe found that properties controlled by former President Donald Trump’s company charged the Secret Service excessive rates on dozens of government trips but that investigators lacked many details. House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D., N.Y.) detailed the preliminary findings in a letter to Kimberly Cheatle, the director of the Secret Service. In the Oct. 17 letter, she wrote that the committee still hasn’t received complete information on nightly rates or the total amount the Secret Service paid to the Trump Organization, and asked the agency for more records related to all stays at properties owned, controlled or branded by the former president’s company.

In one ledger obtained by the Oversight Committee and published in the report, the Secret Service was charged $1,160 for a room at the Trump International Hotel in Washington, D.C. for agents protecting Eric Trump on March 8, 2017. On Nov. 8, 2017, another ledger shows that the Secret Service was charged $1,185 to lodge agents protecting Donald Trump Jr. The Trump Organization and the Secret Service did not immediately respond to a request for comment. Trump Organization properties overall charged the Secret Service more than $1.4 million for agents’ accommodations when traveling to protect former President Trump, according to figures first reported by The Washington Post. “The Secret Service received authorization for additional flexibility for expenses during protective missions, including per diem expenses above the government rate,” Maloney said in her letter to the Secret Service.

The breakdown occurred after Jackson was pummeled by days of heavy rain and the city’s main water treatment plant failed. In an interview on Monday, he said that withholding the funds Jackson needs to ensure safe drinking water puts lives at risk. “Mississippi is one of several states that absolutely rely on the generosity of the federal government,” Thompson said. More than 200 Jackson residents and supporters hold signs as they march to the governor's mansion to protest water issues in the city. Service was restored by the next week, and most Jackson residents no longer have to boil their water, but there are lingering concerns about water quality.

☆ Trump Organization charged Secret Service 'exorbitant rates' of up to $1,185-per night and over $1.4 million total, according to House Oversight Committee
▼ + stars: | 2022-10-17 | by ( Brent D. Griffiths | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

A top House Democrat says the Trump Organization massively overcharged the Secret Service. Rep. Carolyn B. Maloney wrote to the agency's director to request more information on money spent at Trump properties. Maloney said the committee found that the Secret Service spent more than $1.4 million at properties owened by the former president. In total, Maloney said the committee found that the Secret Service spent more than $1.4 million at Trump properties during his time in office. Maloney cited one instance where the Secret Service spent as much as $1,185-per room at the now-defunct Trump International Hotel in Washington.

☆ National Archives to Report on Whether More Trump Files Are Missing
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Siobhan Hughes | ) www.wsj.com time to read: 1 min

WASHINGTON—The National Archives faces a Tuesday deadline to update a congressional committee on a key question: Are there still documents from the Trump White House that are unaccounted for? National Archives officials last month told staff for House Oversight and Reform Committee Chairwoman Carolyn Maloney (D., N.Y.) that they aren’t sure whether all presidential records from the Trump administration are in its custody, as federal law dictates, prompting the committee to set Sept. 27 as a deadline for an update. The National Archives declined to comment.

☆ Groups seeking voter ‘anomalies’ 2 years after Trump’s loss raise concerns ahead of midterm elections
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-26 | by ( Andrew Davis | Dasha Burns | Dasha Burns Is An Nbc News Now Correspondent Who Covers Politics | ) www.nbcnews.com time to read: +12 min

Glen Morgan speaks about his canvassing organization, the Washington Voter Research Project. The Washington Voter Research Project maintains that these claims have no basis in fact. In January, the Washington Voter Research Project began releasing some of its canvassing efforts’ findings online, claiming it had found several anomalies in voter rolls. The resident said that, upon being pressed, the canvassers eventually said they were with the Washington Voter Research Project. “We have these volunteer badges that just say volunteer and they say Washington voter research project on them.

☆ Fights over political lines have fueled the aging of America's government. But that may be changing.
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-25 | by ( Grace Panetta | Walt Hickey | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +15 min

Redistricting and fights over political lines have fueled the aging of America's government. Republican Rep. Adam Kinzinger of Illinois outside a January 6 committee hearing on June 13, 2022. Partisan gerrymandering, the redrawing of political district lines to favor one political party over the other, has gotten increasingly tactical. In all, 14 House incumbents lost renomination in 2022, the highest number in a single cycle since 1992. If you're a Democrat in a Republican district, your days are probably numbered."

☆ These 5 former House candidates might've been the next AOC, but entrenched politicians blocked their path
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-23 | by ( John L. Dorman | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +17 min

Durham County Commissioner Nida Allam competed in this year's Democratic primary for North Carolina's 4th Congressional District. And we need to have an infrastructure like that on the Democratic Party side. Former House candidate John Isemann faced ex-state lawmaker Tom Kean Jr. in the Republican primary for New Jersey's 7th Congressional District. Jay Nixon and also worked for the Missouri Democratic Party — decided to jump into the race himself. "We talk about the Democratic Party being a big-tent party," she said.

☆ Two top House Democrats seek review of whether airlines used Covid bailout funds for staff buyouts
▼ + stars: | 2022-09-09 | by ( Leslie Josephs | ) www.cnbc.com time to read: +3 min

Two House Democrats have asked a Treasury Department watchdog to investigate whether airlines used a portion of a federal coronavirus relief package to pay for staff buyouts during the pandemic. Airlines were prohibited from laying off staff as a condition of accepting $54 billion in taxpayer aid to weather the Covid-19 pandemic. As a result, some airlines, including American and United, cut flights or grounded dozens of planes, particularly to small cities. Shorter routes are flown generally by regional airlines, and airlines have hired hundreds of new pilots from those smaller carriers to fill their own ranks. The Treasury Department declined to comment.

☆ Visa's PAC gave politicians $139,000 in March after vowing to pause contributions because of the Capitol insurrection
▼ + stars: | 2021-04-07 | by ( Kayla Epstein | Dave Levinthal | ) www.businessinsider.com time to read: +4 min

Visa's PAC has resumed political donations after announcing a pause following the January 6 Capitol attack. On March 24, Visa gave a total of $139,000 to candidate and political committees on both sides of the aisle. None of the lawmakers voted to object to the certification of the 2020 election results. Visa also filled coffers of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee and Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee, giving each one $15,000. On January 12, less than a week after the attack, Visa's PAC "temporarily suspended all political donations as we review our candidate contribution guidelines," the company told the Washington Post.

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