logo
Florida Sen. Moody announces HELPER Act to help first responders, LEOs buy homes

Florida Sen. Moody announces HELPER Act to help first responders, LEOs buy homes

Yahoo21-03-2025
TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Florida Senator Ashley Moody is sponsoring a bipartisan bill aimed at helping first responders, law enforcement, and teachers buy a home.
On Thursday, Florida sheriffs and deputies stood by her side in support as she shared the details about the bill at the Hillsborough County Sheriff's Office Jail Assembly Room in Tampa.
Acting head of FEMA says his parents in Pinellas County received denial letter
Senator Moody says she's working hard to carry out a political promise.
'Supporting the men and women in blue, green, tan has been incredibly important,' Moody said.
She introduced her first piece of legislation two months into her term in Washington D.C.
'My first bill is the HELPER Act, which is going to help these men and women who volunteer for these jobs buy homes in the communities they love,' Moody said.
The Homes for Every Local Protector, Educator, and Responder (HELPER) Act of 2025 would let teachers, firefighter, law enforcement, and medical first responders join a new loan program.
It would give eligible recipients a one-time, upfront mortgage insurance premium without needing a down payment first.
Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Orange background

Try Our AI Features

Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:

Comments

No comments yet...

Related Articles

MAGA Rep Gets Torn to Shreds in Disastrous Post-Budget Town Hall
MAGA Rep Gets Torn to Shreds in Disastrous Post-Budget Town Hall

Yahoo

time6 hours ago

  • Yahoo

MAGA Rep Gets Torn to Shreds in Disastrous Post-Budget Town Hall

Now that Congress is in summer recess, homebound Republican lawmakers are learning just how much their constituents hate the president's policies. In his first town hall since voting in favor of Donald Trump's 'big, beautiful bill,' Nebraska Representative Mike Flood had no remedy for the fire and fury of his base, who practically roasted him alive Monday night for Flood's ongoing support for Trump. Flood faced a barrage of excoriating questions during the jam-packed town hall, in which voters demanded to understand why their local lawmaker would vote in favor of the president's tax bill and his immigration policies, accusing him of supporting a 'fascist machine.' At one point, the crowd broke into a furious chant: 'Tax the rich.' 'My question is fiscal. With 450 million FEMA dollars being reallocated to open Alligator Alcatraz, and 600 million taxpayer FEMA dollars being used to now open more concentration camps, and ICE burning through 8.4 million dollars a day to illegally detain people—how much does it cost for fascism?' one woman pressed Flood as the crowd behind her cheered. 'How much do the taxpayers have to pay for a fascist country?' But Flood's response was no different from the party line, effectively echoing Trump's 'mandate from the people' ideology to advance undemocratic ideals. 'Americans went to the polls in November, and they had a choice between a Democratic candidate that had an open border, no enforcement, fentanyl, drugs, human trafficking, and they had a choice between that and a candidate that said close the border, get illegal immigrants out of our country, stop the fentanyl, stop the human trafficking, stop the drugs, stop the crime, stop the violence,' Flood said. 'That's what Americans voted for. 'Americans voted for a border that is secure, and I support the president enforcing our immigration laws, which, by the way, were written by Congress,' he added. Flood's constituents also harangued him for failing to protect SNAP benefits, veterans' programs, and health care access, and for supporting Trump as the president circumnavigates and avoids his own home-brewed Epstein scandal. 'Let's be very clear—at the next pro forma session of the Congress, you will find my name as a sponsor on a resolution from the House Rules Committee to release the Epstein files to protect the victims and not re-victimize them again,' Flood said, stating that he was for the release of the records despite the fact that he—along with every other Republican in the House—voted against a Democrat-led effort last month to make the files public. The crowd, which at 750 people was the largest at one of Flood's town halls yet, repeatedly booed the lawmaker almost from the very start. At one point, unsatisfied with his answers, constituents broke out into chants of, 'Vote him out!' Flood is unlikely to be the only conservative facing enormous backlash at home. Republicans have been instructed by the National Republican Congressional Committee to focus their time at home in August on selling Trump's agenda to voters.

As Southwest Side recovers from flooding, questions remain about millions in prior disaster relief funds
As Southwest Side recovers from flooding, questions remain about millions in prior disaster relief funds

CBS News

time11 hours ago

  • CBS News

As Southwest Side recovers from flooding, questions remain about millions in prior disaster relief funds

The Southwest Side of Chicago is still recovering from flood damage over the weekend, with homeowners filing reports with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, trying to get money to help rebuild. Meantime, CBS News Chicago is learning about money previously given to the city of Chicago to help prevent the kind of flooding seen this month. The city was awarded millions of dollars in various funds after devastating storms in 2023 and 2024, money that was supposed to help prevent future floods and to assist homeowners with recovery efforts, but that has yet to be spent on anything. Elected officials on the state, local, and federal levels couldn't answer questions about what happened with that money. "Why does this keep happening to us?" Ald. Jeylú Gutiérrez (14th) said. On Wednesday, elected leaders on the Southwest Side pleaded with neighbors to file reports with FEMA and through their offices; an effort for individual homeowners to receive disaster relief money and to put pressure on the federal government to approve a disaster declaration for the most recent storms in Chicago. "I've called for this area to be declared a disaster zone so that flow can directly flow to the residents that need it," U.S. Rep. Jesus "Chuy" Garcia (D-IL) said. At least a dozen people showed up to Gutierrez's ward office on Wednesday, looking for help filing those complaints, including Ignacio Cruz. "It's been a disaster, because, you know, Sunday our basement got drowned with water," he said. Cruz and his mom have lived in the same basement apartment for more than a decade. He said his landlord won't fix flood damage in their home. Now Cruz said he's sleeping on the floor without anywhere else to go to avoid the damage. "We lost a lot of stuff. If we were talking about money, it would be around $4,500 to $5,000. I lost everything; my computer, my phone, my tablet," he said. Mayor Brandon Johnson's office said the city received $168 million in direct aid from FEMA following the 2023 storms in Chicago, and another $426 million from the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in December 2024. That money from HUD has not been spent. The city said it has a plan for that funding, but HUD must approve their plan before it can be spent, which has caused a lot of confusion for Chicagoans still waiting for financial help.

Republican cuts force changes to grants for emergency alerts
Republican cuts force changes to grants for emergency alerts

E&E News

time14 hours ago

  • E&E News

Republican cuts force changes to grants for emergency alerts

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting will no longer be able to dole out federal grants to help local media stations issue emergency alerts and warnings after congressional Republicans clawed back funding last month. But the grants, administered under the Next Generation Warning System (NGWS) program, will continue to be available and administered without the involvement of the CPB, according to a spokesperson for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The change in the NGWS program's structure will allow some rural communities and tribes to continue to receive timely alerts ahead of severe weather and natural disasters. Advertisement But the CPB's announcement that it can no longer run the program has only compounded fears among some lawmakers and broadcasters that vulnerable communities could still be left in the dark during life-threatening weather events.

DOWNLOAD THE APP

Get Started Now: Download the App

Ready to dive into a world of global content with local flavor? Download Daily8 app today from your preferred app store and start exploring.
app-storeplay-store