Tag Archives: DOGE

Harris County gets its refugee health grant back

Posted on April 20, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Good. The Trump administration restored funding for a $10.5 million refugee health grant a little over a week after Harris County Attorney Christian D. Menefee sued the federal government for freezing payments to its Refugee Medical Screening Program, according to … Continue reading →

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Harris County sues over refugee grant funds

Posted on April 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Keep on litigating, the reasons to do so aren’t going to run short anytime soon. Harris County Attorney Christian Menefee is suing the Trump administration after it froze a more-than-$10 million grant for the county’s Refugee Health Services Program. Menefee … Continue reading →

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On weather balloons

Posted on April 12, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Another possibly bad omen for the hurricane season. Due to staffing constraints, as a result of recent budget cuts and retirements, the National Weather Service has announced a series of suspensions involving weather balloon launches in recent weeks. On February … Continue reading →

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Measles update: We’re already making this harder on ourselves

Posted on April 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Here’s your weekend update. The measles outbreak centered in the South Plains region soared past a combined 500 cases in Texas, New Mexico and Oklahoma on Friday, according to health officials. Texas has seen 481 measles cases amid the outbreak … Continue reading →

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Smaller number of federal buildings on the chopping block

Posted on April 5, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Progress? I dunno. Less than two weeks after posting – and abruptly pulling down – a list of federally owned office buildings to be sold, the U.S. General Services Administration has released a much shorter list that includes one property in Houston. A … Continue reading →

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Make America hungry again

Posted on March 22, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

They’re working on it. The San Antonio Food Bank expects to lose $3 million due to federal funding cuts, leaving officials at the nonprofit saying they’re not sure how they’ll make up for that shortfall and that they are worried … Continue reading →

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The federal buildings that may or may not get sold

Posted on March 17, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Who can even tell with these incompetent wannabe evildoers? The General Services Administration, landlord for federal government, said Tuesday it planned to sell more than 440 buildings across the U.S., including three in Houston and 21 others in Texas. The … Continue reading →

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The cost of the warming centers

Posted on March 16, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Missed this last week. The City of Houston spent about $6.5 million as the January winter storm brought freezing temperatures and snow to the region. Mayor John Whitmire’s chief of staff, Chris Newport, told the city’s resilience committee Thursday that the 10 … Continue reading →

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“A bigger threat to U.S. federal government information systems than China”

Posted on March 10, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Brian Krebs assesses the DOGE madness from a cybersecurity perspective. The Trump administration has fired at least 130 employees at the federal government’s foremost cybersecurity body  — the Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency (CISA). Those dismissals reportedly included CISA staff dedicated to securing U.S. elections, … Continue reading →

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If you get the chance to attend a Congressional town hall, do so

Posted on March 4, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Look at all the fun you can have. About two dozen demonstrators greeted 3rd District Congressman Keith Self at a town hall in the Collin College Conference Center in Wylie. “Do your job!” chanted the crowd carrying signs including “Dump … Continue reading →

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Muskian rampage could close hundreds of federal buildings in Texas

Posted on February 19, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

Look around, here today and maybe gone tomorrow. Billionaire Elon Musk’s chainsaw diet for the U.S. government could shutter near 450 federal offices across Texas that do anything from assisting ailing veterans to answering questions about retirement and disability benefits, … Continue reading →

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Solar For All grants caught in a trap

Posted on February 18, 2025 by Charles Kuffner

They can’t get out, at least not at this time. More than $400 million in federal funding for Texas-based organizations to implement clean energy programs remains frozen, jeopardizing efforts to expand access to rooftop solar panels and battery storage systems in … Continue reading →

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