10 More Ways the Government Wastes Your Money
5. FEMA spent $202 000 to rebuild a golf course
The federal government rebuffed pleas for assistance from Austin, Texas homeowners that were directly impacted by what some called the storm of the century, but paid hundreds of thousands of dollars to rebuild local golf courses.
Last October, Central Texas, including the city of Austin, experienced a historic storm. Five people were killed during the flooding, and more than 500 homes were damaged. Texas Governor Rick Perry requested a disaster declaration noting that the floods had left a devastating financial burden on the local communities. Although Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) denied the state’s request to provide funds to individuals directly affected by the storm, it approved the state’s request for funds to rebuild damaged infrastructure.
FEMA oversees a number of programs that are intended to provide taxpayer funds to individuals and state and local governments to help pay for repairs to critical publicly-owned infrastructure, such as community hospitals and schools after severe disasters. Since 1999, FEMA has spent more than $18 million rebuilding public golf courses damaged during disasters.
