North Carolina Governor Josh Stein announced five counties are getting more than $86 million for drinking water and wastewater infrastructure with FEMA grants and reimbursements. Cities getting funds include Waynesville, Woodfin, and Hot Springs.
[Q]uestions persist around U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) Secretary Kristi Noem’s policy on her office reviewing any federal expenditure over $100,000, which Manheimer pointed out as an issue two weeks ago.
“She or her staff, and we don’t know, has to approve any spending over $100,000,” Manheimer said. “It is not clear how that process works, but that is no longer the end of the process.”
There’s a second step with Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE) called the “Defend the Spend” review, which News 13 has confirmed with the North Carolina Emergency Management division.
The White House’s Executive Order establishing DOGE, which was initially created by Elon Musk, can delay state officials’ approval of FEMA-approved millions by up to 90 days.
“I’ve seen the email provided to the state,” said [Asheville Mayor Esther Manheimer] of DOGE. “It just simply said these funds are under review for DOGE, and no other information is provided in terms of how long that will take, who is reviewing it, what process to expect.”
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