Rep. Garret Graves (R-La.) put FEMA on the spot during a congressional hearing, revealing that the government organization meant to help disaster victims is prioritizing illegal aliens over survivors of Hurricane Helene. “In North Carolina, for example, where I visited, you could have a flood or disaster victim that can get a check for $750, yet when I go through and I look at the programs and resources that are available to a citizen of a different country that came illegally into the United States under the FEMA administrative program, using nonprofits, you could be eligible for housing, for food, for transportation, for health care costs, and others,” Graves said at the hearing. “I was able to get to a figure in excess of $10,000 for an individual, let me make note again, that is a citizen of a foreign country. How would I explain to a taxpayer, that a taxpayer, a citizen of the United States, is eligible for $750, yet a citizen of a foreign country under your agency is still eligible for assistance of $10,000?” he asked. Former Army Green Beret and Savage Freedoms Relief Operations founder Adam Smith, who spent 17 years conducting global military operations in defense of the United States, is infuriated but not surprised. “It would be a lie if I was surprised,” Smith tells Jill Savage and Matthew Peterson of “Blaze News Tonight.” “Watching it real time, firsthand on the ground, we’re having conversations with individuals who are regularly denied applying for assistance.” “They apply for assistance, and it’s denied to them, and it’s a multitude of different types of assistance. Everything from a $750 check, which is immediate response assistance, to having FEMA support for grant money, coming in to help cover down on damage to the homes,” he explains. “There’s a lot of people that are having conversations about just leaving because of the amount of challenge that they’re facing with regards to trying to get FEMA assistance on the ground,” he adds. And it’s more complicated than just receiving help, as victims are also waiting on FEMA to decide whether or not their property has been rezoned as a flood zone. “There’s a lot of inefficient effort that’s taking place, and it’s costing the American taxpayers a lot of dollars,” Smith says. “And add it to the next problem, which is the second disaster that we’re going to face, which is an economic disaster in the region.” “We’ve already had the tragedy of the loss of life, and we’ve had the tragedy of loss of homes and homesteads. Now, we’re going to have the tragedy of loss of economic stability in the region because capital’s not getting reinjected back into the local businesses,” he adds. Want more from 'Blaze News Tonight'?To enjoy more provocative opinions, expert analysis, and breaking stories you won’t see anywhere else, subscribe to BlazeTV — the largest multi-platform network of voices who love America, defend the Constitution, and live the American dream.

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Illustration by Alex Castro / The Verge DirecTV has dropped its plans to acquire Dish, the company announced Thursday. The deal would’ve created a TV service megamerger, but it fell through after Dish bondholders rejected the takeover. In September, DirecTV reached an agreement to acquire Dish, Sling TV, and EchoStar’s TV business for just one dollar, while also taking on Dish’s $9.75 billion in debt. However, Dish bondholders — or the investors who lend money to a company (and expect to be paid back) — weren’t happy about the decision, as the transaction would’ve cut the value of their holdings by $1.5 billion. “While we believed a combination of DIRECTV and DISH would have benefitted all stakeholders, we have terminated the transaction because the proposed Exchange Terms... Continue reading…