What happened to the $10 million dollars then-President Biden gave to Kerr County Texas?

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JustTheFacts! @JustTheFacts_68
Man on man, the hits just keep on coming for the incompetent Kerr County officials.

In 2021, The Biden administration gave Kerr County $10 million dollars in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA). These funds were allocated for various recovery efforts, including infrastructure improvements and disaster preparedness, including upgrading the county’s flood warning system.

JustTheFacts! @JustTheFacts_68
Turns out they didn't want that "socialist money", but instead of returning it, they used a majority of the funds upgrading the Sheriff's department for operational expenses, equipment, or other law enforcement needs.

I wonder what would turn up if there was an audit of how those funds were spent.

...Grok:

In 2021, Kerr County, Texas, received approximately $10 million in federal funds from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA), administered by the Biden administration. These funds were intended for various recovery efforts, including infrastructure improvements and disaster preparedness, which could have included upgrading the county’s flood warning system, a critical need in the flood-prone region known as Flash Flood Alley.

However, Kerr County officials and residents expressed skepticism about accepting the funds, with some at a 2021 county commission meeting calling them "socialist money" or expressing distrust toward the Biden administration, citing concerns about federal overreach or attached strings.

Despite these reservations, the county did not return the funds, as some residents feared they would be redirected to "blue states." Instead, the county retained the money and allocated a significant portion to the Kerr County Sheriff’s Department for operational expenses, equipment, or other law enforcement needs, rather than investing in a modern flood warning system, such as river gauges or sirens, which had been discussed after previous flooding events.

This decision drew criticism following catastrophic flooding along the Guadalupe River in July 2025, which killed at least 75 people in Kerr County. The county’s outdated flood warning infrastructure, lacking real-time monitoring or sirens, was cited as a factor that may have hindered timely evacuations. Posts on X and news reports, including from The New York Times, highlighted public frustration, noting that the ARPA funds could have been used to modernize the warning system but were instead diverted. For example, a Reddit thread referenced in a Tumblr post detailed the 2021 commission discussions, showing a mix of ideological resistance and budgetary caution among officials and residents.

Kerr County Judge Rob Kelly and other officials defended their actions, stating that local resistance to new spending and the high cost of a warning system (estimated at $1 million in a failed 2017 grant application) were barriers. They also argued that the rapid onset of the 2025 flood might have limited the effectiveness of any warning system. However, critics, including former county commissioner Tom Moser, argued that the funds’ misallocation reflected missed opportunities to enhance disaster preparedness.

The exact breakdown of how the $10 million was spent remains unclear from available sources, beyond the significant allocation to the sheriff’s department. No official county budget or audit detailing the full expenditure was cited in the provided references.

Link to tweet

[wcmagumba]

1. Looks like more Republican incompetence and thievery...God almighty I despise these a**holes...

[Silent Type]

2. Good question and point.

[FadedMullet]

3. "Some residents feared that (the money) would be directed to blue states". Really??? You dumb fucks, really??.....

......Now a bunch of your kids are dead and the flood warning money bought new toys for your cops. Should have put a little aside to help those good christian folks bury their kids.

[Prairie Gates]

4. Sounds like Cleetus might have gotten an armored vehicle for breaking up teen keg parties

Pew pew.

[RockRaven]

5. Explains why local officials were so quick to blame NWS.

Gotta write in the concrete while it is still wet, to get that story set in stone.

Whoever gets their narrative out there first crafts the conventional/established "knowledge."

[H2O Man]

6. Recommended.

It's kind of depressing to realize that these parasites feel entitled and justified.

[chowder66]

7. Wait. They didn't want the money but they kept it

To spend on something else?

I guess having safety equipment is now socialist or is saving children and adults from potential death socialist?

Fuuuuuuuuuck.

[Norrrm]

8. Free socialist money..... not refused.... not returned.

[FHRRK]

9. I did some work in Kerrville in 2009

First night there I am sitting in a bar/restaurant right on the river. Watching a Spurs game, the guy next to me starts chatting me up. Tells me he is a local detective and hands me 20 plus business cards. Tells me to use them if needed to get out of a ticket or DUI. Tell him I am 20 yards from my room but thanks.

We continue to talk and he tells me his cards are golden because he just led a string that got almost 1000 people arrested for drug distribution.

I ponder that and state, how many fucking people live in Kerrville? His response 24k. My response, holy shit that number must include possession. Nope!

I then respond, if it is a 4 to 1 ratio for users to distributors, that would mean 10 percent of your population is on drugs. His response, try 10 to 1 or more! (So a third to half of the population)

So, these RW, Christian (fake) mainly white people are truly a problem while they point fingers at Mexicans and Libs.

[Mike 03]

10. Kick and Recommend

Remarkable post.

Just goddammit...

[Irish_Dem]

11. In other words, the sheriff put the money in his pocket.

Who cares if kids die in Texas.
Just like Uvalde.

[FadedMullet]

12. Yep, just like Uvalde, right down to the white stetson hats that they don't take off while talking about dead kids.

[Irish_Dem]

13. All hat, no cattle. Fake cowboys and tough guys.

[allegorical oracle]

14. This admin/Congress is not releasing disaster funds allocated by Biden for last

year's disasters here in Fla. Our electric bills were just raised because funding for Hurricanes Helene and Milton have not been released. Those funds reimburse responders for lost infrastructure (transformers, poles, lines, fuel). My provider is out several millions and had to get a remedial loan for $6 million of it. My neighbor said his bill went up about $100/mo.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

15. When "owning the libs" turns deadly..