Thread by @moira

So here's a thing. @fema has started a new grant program to help cities and states cover the cost of Trump's travel.
fema.gov/presidential-r…

@fema Here's the key language:

@fema While it's normal for cities & states to request funds to support these things, the frequency of such trips far exceeds what cities and states can cover. So if Chicago hosts a summit, someone has to pay Chicago for the police, fire, etc support they provide that exceeds the norm.

@fema This is a very specific legitimization of graft. All of these locations (FL, NJ, NY) have Trump properties. Now Trump has a vehicle to host events --like lets say next year's #G7--at his own properties with no problem because of this "preferred status." This is unprecedented.

@fema what about Obama or Bush you say? Their travel was predictable to location, annual, and short (2 weeks). Every time Trump flies to play golf we pay for the plane tickets of a small city to go with him. Anything beyond that hasn't been factored into the federal budget...until now.

@fema a bureaucratic point to understand this: FEMA is one of a few "vehicles" used to provide grants to cities and states. So DHS $ (like Secret Service $) is funneled through them as a matter of routine. What's highly unusual is a specific grant for this purpose.

@fema The grant has been around for FY17, 18, 19. Here's the stats from 17:
cnn.com/2017/12/20/pol…

@fema so NEW is 1) new for trump 2) announced today for FY19

Your tax dollars at work!