Kerrville Refused To Take 10 Million From Biden Admin - "You Take This Money, You're Signing A Contract With The Devil"

[MayReasonRule]

WATCH: “More could’ve been done.”

KERR COUNTY folks didn’t want to take money from “The Biden Regime” that could’ve been used for a flood warning system 👇🏽

— The Tennessee Holler (@thetnholler.bsky.social) 2025-07-11T21:08:28.281Z

[creon]

1. Not a surprise

Not a surprise that would happen
Many Texans think that way.

[pnwmom]

93. It's not true though. The full board VOTED TO ACCEPT the money in 2021. However,

they decided to spend it on other things, mostly on a wishlist from the Sheriff's department.

In 2021, Kerr County was awarded a $10.2 million windfall from the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, which Congress passed that same year to support local governments impacted by the pandemic. Cities and counties were given flexibility to use the money on a variety of expenses, including those related to storm-related infrastructure. Corpus Christi, for example, allocated $15 million of its ARPA funding to “rehabilitate and/or replace aging storm water infrastructure.” Waco’s McLennan County spent $868,000 on low water crossings.

Kerr County did not opt for ARPA to fund flood warning systems despite commissioners discussing such projects nearly two dozen times since 2016. In fact, a survey sent to residents about ARPA spending showed that 42% of the 180 responses wanted to reject the $10 million bonus altogether, largely on political grounds.

SNIP

When it was all said and done, the county approved $7 million in ARPA dollars on a public safety radio communications system for the sheriff’s department and county fire services to meet the community’s needs for the next 10 years, although earlier estimates put that contract at $5 million. Another $1 million went to sheriff’s employees in the form of stipends and raises, and just over $600,000 went towards additional county positions. A new walking path was also created with the ARPA money.

While much has been made of the ARPA spending, it’s not clear if residents or the commissioners understood at the time they could have applied the funds to a warning system. Kelly, the Kerr County judge, and Thomas have declined repeated requests for interviews. Moser, who is no longer a commissioner, did not immediately respond to a Texas Tribune interview request.

https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/10/texas-kerr-county-commissioners-flooding-warning/

[reACTIONary]

109. Thanks!

[Lovie777]

2. President Biden tried.................

he cared about all the states and didn't look at them as red states and blue states, not like the present asshole in the WH.

We truly don't know at present if the millions would have helped Kerrville and the surrounding locations, but my conclusion is a strong yes.

Nevertheless, magas and the present WH, administration and republicans with their fucked up conspiracies still would have blamed President Biden regardless.

[SamKnause]

3. Christian Nationalists are sick, evil, and twisted.

[GiqueCee]

26. That's the kindest thing you could say about them.

[Upthevibe]

66. SamKnause......

Yep......

[LiberalLovinLug]

92. They hate the Catholic Christian who goes to church every week

And love the non-Christian criminal rapist serial liar

[sop]

4. Are they going to refuse FEMA's help to clean up the mess? Or the federal disaster relief funds to rebuild?

[Klondike Kat]

12. I'm sure they'll accept help from FEMA

although it remains to be seen how much and how effective it would be. Of course, they would decry any help that FEMA might give to anyone else, because those "others" would not be worthy.

This is just another example of FAFO - and they're in the "FO" phase. Those people who refused the moneys from the Biden administration can rot in hell, but I have sympathies for anyone else.

[Aristus]

32. I hope they enjoy their pound of cure.

When they could simply have accepted an ounce of prevention.

[benfranklin1776]

38. Indeed.

But the logic of that evades their twisted minds. Better to sacrifice their loved ones in their degenerate world view. Exactly the lethal, self loathing calculus of depravity employed by the followers of Jim Jones . 😡

[malaise]

45. How do we as humans survive with so many effin stupid people

living among us?

[benfranklin1776]

53. A very good question malaise

And it’s not just that they are stupid they are malevolent 😡 It’s infuriating to think how much further ahead humankind would be without these malicious Neanderthals assaulting us and compromising our survival. 🤯

[malaise]

69. And they are all over the effin planet

It’s insane

[benfranklin1776]

74. Yes like a plague of locusts

Laying waste to the landscape and living things. At least locusts do it to survive. These cretins do it to indulge their evil sadism 😡

[Aristus]

55. There are a few built-in remedies to the existence of stupid people.

The guy who wants to take a selfie with a bison. The “Hey! Watch me drive with my eyes closed” guy. The “Hey! I bet I could wash my balls in this golf ball washer!” guy. Anyone who has ever said “Hold my beer and watch this”, and meant it.

But modern life has too many safeguards, too many guard rails (including literal ones) to enable stupid people, through their sheer stupidity, to remove themselves from the company of evolved species for good. So they keep living, breeding stupid spawn, and we continue the spiral into Idiocracy.

[MayReasonRule]

84. Don't Pet The Fluffy Cows!

[Whiskeytide]

65. Carlo M Cipolla was a professor of Economic History ...

… at Berkeley in the 70s. He wrote an essay on the Five Universal Laws of Human Stupidity. It’s been linked here before (this is where I first saw it years ago), and it explains a lot. It’s time to post it again

It’s written almost as if it were a lark, but the more I look around, the more convinced I become that he was brilliantly serious.

This is an article about it - but the original essay is linked in it.
https://getpocket.com/explore/item/the-five-universal-laws-of-human-stupidity?utm_source=pocket-newtab

Worth a read.

[Dock_Yard]

85. "THIS IS GOLD, JERRY" ... thank you Whiskeytide

I am rapidly gaining interest in the subject of human STUPIDITY.
Because US stupidity has been increasingly prevalent every few years as I age (I'm now 70.5).

[Whiskeytide]

87. I said "holy crap, that's so right" at least a half dozen times as I read it. As I said, it explains a lot. n/t

[Upthevibe]

67. malaise ...........

I don't know. It's horrifying.....

I read somewhere (it may have even been here on DU) that it's like we're tied up to a chair watching toddlers play with guns and we can't get loose....

[mjvpi]

103. Climate Change is the beginning of a very slow "they don't".

[Katinfl]

22. Good question.

My bet is they will start complaining about how long it is taking for the government help to start. These people are all about trashing the government until something happens and they are the first to call for a bail out. Maybe, if they are lucky, they can get some paper towels thrown at them.

[Rebl2]

52. No

because it’s a republican offering help.

[et tu]

77. will they use

the money now for tombstones and plots???

[stollen]

78. Yes, if they're consistent

"F" means "federal." "Federal" = "bad."

[benfranklin1776]

5. Ignorant assholes 😡

Sacrificing their own people, including innocent children for their delusional cult hate 🤬They should be held accountable for their willful indifference to the suffering and harm that was likely to result. 🤬

[eppur_se_muova]

24. If believe the operative legal phrase is DERANGED indifference. nt

[benfranklin1776]

39. Very true

As it’s not the voluntary act of a sane mind. 😡

[Brainfodder]

6. This or driving with a blind fold on, which is stupider?

[Paladin]

7. Hope Kerr Co. is enjoying a president who publicly insults the parents of dead children.

There's simply no underestimating trump's capacity for filthy behavior. Yesterday's press conference was just further proof of that all-too-obvious fact.

[Bengus81]

8. Drip...drip...drip.......

It all keeps coming out and adding up.

[tanyev]

9. Their hatred of Biden was more important than the lives of people living in or visiting their county.

I expect there will be many lawsuits in their future, and a lot of regular visitors will find other places to go. They'll be paying for this long after all the debris is cleared and things are rebuilt.

[LymphocyteLover]

10. stupid is as stupid does

[benfranklin1776]

14. The motto of Texas state "government"

They never miss an opportunity to screw their people to comfort wealthy scumbags 🤬

[LymphocyteLover]

18. which is what the Trump admin is now doing nation-wide

[benfranklin1776]

21. Indeed. Trying to reduce us all...

…to that gutter level of “governance”, i.e. plantation slavery, which is why we cannot let him as the toll of dead and injured will be staggering 🤬😡

[PatSeg]

51. Yes, this is a special kind of stupid

What did they think? That Biden was sending them his own personal money in exchange for their immortal souls?

I'd say unbelievable, but it IS Texas, so I guess we shouldn't be terribly surprised.

[UpInArms]

11. Each of those horrible people should have to dig in the mud and find every

missing child’s dead body, clean it, call the parents and then

Tell them that they were the ones who spoke up to REFUSE TO PUT IN ALERTS AND SIRENS

And THEY ARE PERSONALLY RESPONSIBLE FOR EVERY DEATH

[benfranklin1776]

16. Damn right 😡

Penance for their sins of callous disregard for their fellow human beings.

[marble falls]

13. And there is a lot of wealth out there in that county in the hands of a few families ...

... they also discussed how they could lock that money up to keep it from going to California or New York.

[ProfessorGAC]

43. Was Going To Add That

Eventually, they have to spend it as intended or return it. But, they sat on it so blue states that "didn't share their values" wouldn't get it.
The antithesis of Christian values.

[yardwork]

56. I think that is true of most rural counties.

It's one of the big problems in deep red areas. The resources are controlled by a few powerful families, who collude to keep it that way. They have a strong influence on how people vote.

[lark]

15. Hope they are enjoying their karma of hundreds dead for their hatred and stupidity!

No feelings of sympathy for them at all, they got what they voted for, rw destruction and major deaths. Stupidity squared!.

[mwb970]

17. To this day, I am always astonished by how stupid MAGA morons really are.

It's just unbelievable. What is wrong with these people??

[OldBaldy1701E]

19. A lifetime of bigotry fueled by other bigots.

RW talk radio is a good place to start. But, to be honest, the best place to start is our schools, where the idea of learning has been removed in favor of propaganda and programming.

They don't want to learn. They want to control. Everything they do is about control. Because if they control everything, they don't have to be held accountable for their crimes and evil deeds. Which is the main reason they want to control everything.

[Liberal In Texas]

36. I firmly believe it's the propaganda.

Texas doesn't have one progressive radio source. It's why I pay a fee to have Sirius/XM. Out in the sticks when you stop for food or gas on the road almost every business has Fox or one of them playing on their TVs. The vitriol they pick up on, say, OAN or Newsmax gets reinforced when their friends and neighbors repeat it over and over. NPR is available, but they generally don't trust this woke network.

Thirty or forty years ago the Democratic Party should have seen this threat coming when right wing interests were buying up radio stations and Rupert was buying major TV stations, NFL broadcast rights and starting his over-the-top alleged news NewsChannel.
It wouldn't have taken buckets of money to buy some AM radio stations that were going for a song back then, to at least make an alternative viewpoint available.

[calimary]

91. This post of yours is painful to read.

Because of how spot-on it is.

[Emile]

20. Simply amazing. These idiots shoot themselves in the foot to entertain the wealthy.

Victims of Fox propaganda? I'll never figure them out.

[Prof. Toru Tanaka]

49. Like that nut in Oklahoma

who just got arrested for destroying weather forecasting equipment. He was convinced “the gummint” was using the forecasting equipment to actually alter the climate.

[malaise]

70. Dream on if you think this level,of ignorance is merely a MAGAt problem

These dumbasses are all over our planet.

[mwb970]

110. Every single smart person I know despises trump.

The one dumb person in my life (he's in my band) loves trump unconditionally.

trump support works as a surrogate for an actual intelligence test.

[Old Crank]

23. Can't fix stupid.

[Freddie]

25. Or just plain evil

[malaise]

27. So go and bury those innocent kids you brainwashed

dumbass scumbag murderers.
They killed their own people.

[BeyondGeography]

28. "Letting kids drown to own the libs. Peak maga."

With props to RogerWallaceTN in the comments.

[MuseRider]

90. We should use your quote

liberally.

It is truth and it is important and should not be left to gloss over.



"Letting kids drownto own the libs." Peak Maga

[Paladin]

29. People who prefer childrens' funerals to accepting federal funds.

trump's kind of people. I hope they never ever live this down.

[Norrrm]

30. But then they felt it was fine to take that free 'socialist/communist' money under false pretenses.

But then they felt it was fine to take that free 'socialist/communist' money under false pretenses.

Children died? They'll find a way to blame Biden.

[Scalded Nun]

31. Nothing like owning the Libs, eh?

[NoMoreRepugs]

33. Amazing how Deplorables think, I don't EVER see a path to reconciliation

between us and them. EVER.

[kacekwl]

34. Give Texas back to

Mexico, maybe they can do something with it.

[oasis]

35. MAGAlunacy is poisonous!

[RedWhiteBlueIsRacist]

37. Those folks have flooded their minds with ignorant bullshit. Grow the fuck up.

Hating Joe Biden would be like hating Mr. Rogers. Although, I suspect they hated him too!

[CaptainTruth]

40. They said the proposal was "dead in the water."

Transcript of a meeting of the Kerr County Commissioner's Court:
In their discussion about accepting "Democrat" administration money they call the proposal "Dead in the water"... & they even joke about it.

COMMISSIONER MOSER: If they don't then we just forget the whole project.

JUDGE POLLARD: Just dead in the water.

COMMISSIONER MOSER: Dead in the water, right. It's dead in the water.

COMMISSIONER REEVES: Question --

COMMISSIONER MOSER: Or the pun for the Flood Warning System.

JUDGE POLLARD: Dead in the water.

https://www.reddit.com/r/TexasPolitics/comments/1ltnjf8/comment/n1st2km/?context=3

[Kid Berwyn]

47. "Dead in the water."

Wit at the cost of the lives of children and other innocent people.

“Democrat” and “Woke” people don’t joke about life and death; we work to protect lives — ALL lives, even corrupt idiots.

[iemanja]

41. They did take it

And it was diverted to law enforcement.

[GoCubsGo]

54. From what I've been hearing, a lot of it went into their paychecks.

They gave themselves fat pay raises.

[erpowers]

116. They Have the Nerve to Complain About Federal Government

If what you say is true, it is crazy that these people have the nerve to complain about the federal government. Theses Kerr County people may have taken money that was meant to go to a flood program and gave themselves raises.

[WOLFMAN87]

42. It's sickness

Truly touched in the head insanity.

[JT45242]

44. This is opening argument stuff in wrongful death lawsuits

All those speakers should list hones, businesses, etc

If we could charged them with depraved indifference to human life voluntary manslaughter for each death, that would be justice. Served consecutively in alligator Auschwitz.

[mcar]

46. In a sane world, that would at least stop the RWNJ claim that this is Biden's fault

Alas, we are not in that world anymore.

[Torchlight]

48. Guns or butter

Kerrville chose poorly.

[Americanme]

50. I hate calling people names, but

these people are STUPID. They've been brainwashed by the right wing media they love. Biden is not the devil, Biden is not a communist. He tried to help them, and they refused to be helped.

[chouchou]

57. I don't usually say this: Those super-religious people are extremely dangerous.

They WILL do just about anything if their leaders spout insane trouble...

[Seinan Sensei]

58. Preacher once was asked

“Why do you accept that guy’s money? He owns a racetrack. His money is tainted. “
Preacher said, “the only problem with tainted money is it t’ain’t enough. “

[usaf-vet]

59. They did cut a deal with the devil, and now they know what the cost is: the lives of young children.

Stupid, stupid, stupid cultists.

Very sadly, I believe many of the bodies will NEVER be found.

[hatrack]

80. Well, soon enough they can get back to the things that REALLY matter . . .

High school football, arresting brown people, owning libtards and gossiping about who's fucking who among members of the Antioch Hills Baptist Temple.

[BigMin28]

60. What is even worse

Kerr County took the money, but didn't spend it on flood warning systems. Most went to LE.

[chowder66]

81. Yep. Making a deal with the "devil" is okay as long as it doesn't help children. That seems to be a theme

with extremists.

Kill them while they are alive... but do NOT mess with a zygote!!!

[appleannie1]

61. The result of FOX TV and a lot of Evangelical and Baptist ministers. They are the evil ones.

[mn9driver]

62. Rural areas in Texas and most other states are brainwashed.

The far right controls the airwaves in the rural US going back 50+ years. Even further if you count Father Coughlin and his ilk. A big part of the right wing media message is that only they can be trusted. All other media sources are secretly out to destroy America.

The people in Kerr County will be uniformly convinced that Biden caused the floods. It will happen automatically, and quickly.

[dalton99a]

63. Kick

[mountain grammy]

64. I have always donated to disaster relief regardless of where it is..whatever I can afford

"these are human beings who are suffering" I tell myself...

I will not be donating a penny to Texas!

[Clouds Passing]

68. These people are brain dead

[Takket]

71. more info............

It is easy to point a lot of fingers at trump, but let's never forget that trump can only destroy our nation because people completely consumed by hate and ignorance have enabled him to do so, like these citizens and local level politicians that murdered the children of Camp Mystic. They killed them. Dead. as surely as if they had pulled a trigger themselves and shot them themselves, because doing something in their own best interest was LESS important to them than "sticking it" to Joe Biden.

In 2021, Biden admin awarded Kerr County TX m in American Rescue Plan Act funds, which could have been used for flood prevention infrastructure. But commissioners, facing political pressure from conservative residents, opted not to pursue warning system. www.texastribune.org/2025/07/10/t...

— Catherine Rampell (@crampell.bsky.social) 2025-07-12T15:02:55.862Z

[milestogo]

73. We'll let children drown before we'll compromise our high moral standards

[Initech]

72. "More could have been done"

You know the solution to that? Stop voting for dangerously unqualified republican lunatics!

[MagickMuffin]

75. We should check the transcripts for those people's names

They have to state their name and address, so, they need to be exposed and everyday for the rest of their miserable hateful lives have those dead people pictures.

Perhaps even with a little story:

Hi __________,

My names Casandra and I was 8 years old when I was drown in the Guadalupe River because of your hateful politics.

I would started second grade this year. I miss my family. I miss my life.

Do you have children?

Did they survive the floods?

Are you going to be having a 4th of July celebration?

I suppose all the dead people won’t get to celebrate because you helped kill them! Dead in the water! Yep, over 200 people dead in the water. Really such a funny joke, the joke at our expense and very existence.

LOLOLOLOLOL
I’M NOT LAUGHING
Are you still laughing about us being Dead in the water?




Hi __________,

Casandra again. I just wanted to tell you all about heaven since you’ll never ever experience it since you decided to side with the devil that is where you’ll be spending eternity.

I would have been in 3rd grade this year. I would have tried out for the soccer team. And I also wanted to learn how to play the flute.

Are you still laughing about us? Your hatred of President Biden cost us our lives. All you haters killed us. Because you are willfully ignorant and hateful. Jesus doesn’t love you.

[republianmushroom]

76. Live and learn, little ones.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

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

[dlilafae]

82. Just hearing those foolhardy

People say those words. It's sad that people are so sorely misinformed.

[still-prayin4rain]

83. Refusing to install flood warning systems to own the libs.

[Mblaze]

86. Biden was so tyrannical

That he allowed Kerrville to refuse the money in spite of their needs.

[Joinfortmill]

88. Dumb as rocks

[JimmyMidnight]

89. You can't fix stupid!!!

[B.See]

96. Precisely. Especially WILLFUL ignorance.

btw, welcome to DU.

[marble falls]

113. But you can adjust it and rent it out.

[LetMyPeopleVote]

114. Welcome to DU

[pnwmom]

94. This meme is misleading. A few individuals wanted to reject the money, but the full board

decided to keep it. Unfortunately, they decided to use it on other things instead of a flood warning system -- mostly things for the Sheriff's department.

In 2021, Kerr County was awarded a $10.2 million windfall from the American Rescue Plan Act, or ARPA, which Congress passed that same year to support local governments impacted by the pandemic. Cities and counties were given flexibility to use the money on a variety of expenses, including those related to storm-related infrastructure. Corpus Christi, for example, allocated $15 million of its ARPA funding to “rehabilitate and/or replace aging storm water infrastructure.” Waco’s McLennan County spent $868,000 on low water crossings.

Kerr County did not opt for ARPA to fund flood warning systems despite commissioners discussing such projects nearly two dozen times since 2016. In fact, a survey sent to residents about ARPA spending showed that 42% of the 180 responses wanted to reject the $10 million bonus altogether, largely on political grounds.

SNIP

When it was all said and done, the county approved $7 million in ARPA dollars on a public safety radio communications system for the sheriff’s department and county fire services to meet the community’s needs for the next 10 years, although earlier estimates put that contract at $5 million. Another $1 million went to sheriff’s employees in the form of stipends and raises, and just over $600,000 went towards additional county positions. A new walking path was also created with the ARPA money.

While much has been made of the ARPA spending, it’s not clear if residents or the commissioners understood at the time they could have applied the funds to a warning system. Kelly, the Kerr County judge, and Thomas have declined repeated requests for interviews. Moser, who is no longer a commissioner, did not immediately respond to a Texas Tribune interview request.

https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/10/texas-kerr-county-commissioners-flooding-warning/

[dlk]

95. Brainwashed fools living in an alternate reality

Apparently, their paranoia sustains them. So many innocent lives needlessly lost all because of their ignorant foolishness.

Even now, I doubt a single one of them regrets refusing federal money. The fictitious conditions for accepting federal funds are all in their minds. Unless, of course, receipt of the funds was predicated on actually using the funds for the intended purpose, like warning sirens, instead of going into individuals’ pockets.

[pnwmom]

97. I just posted #94 above, explaining that the full board ACCEPTED the funds.

Unfortunately, they decided to spend them on other things.

[dlk]

99. Sorry I skimmed over your post

It would be interesting to learn how the funds were actually spent. There is no shortage of graft and corruption in Texas. The attorney general had felony indictments from a grand jury, but charges were never brought.

[pnwmom]

100. This was all the Texas Tribune said:

"When it was all said and done, the county approved $7 million in ARPA dollars on a public safety radio communications system for the sheriff’s department and county fire services to meet the community’s needs for the next 10 years, although earlier estimates put that contract at $5 million. Another $1 million went to sheriff’s employees in the form of stipends and raises, and just over $600,000 went towards additional county positions. A new walking path was also created with the ARPA money."

https://www.texastribune.org/2025/07/10/texas-kerr-county-commissioners-flooding-warning/

[dlk]

104. So, $1-$2 million not mentioned...

I wonder how much an early warning siren system would have cost?

[pnwmom]

115. In previous years the estimate was under a million,

and they'd tried to get it from the state, but the state would only pay 5%.

Then when ten times that sum suddenly became available, they decided it wasn't important after all.

Idiots.

[Beartracks]

98. Republican partisanship kills. n/t

[pnwmom]

105. The tweet was wrong. Kerr County commissioners voted to ACCEPT the money.

They just didn't think flood control was a priority. I hope they're all kicked off the board.

[Irish_Dem]

101. They killed their children to own the libs.

Great parents these people.

[Mysterian]

102. Don't they ever get tired from all their hate?

I suppose they are like this until the last day of their miserable lives.

[BidenRocks]

106. I'm from the government

and I'm here to help.
Reagan shares in the deaths.

[Jack Valentino]

107. "Better to LET GOD KILL YOU than to take the Devil's money!"

(combining 2 different right-wing perspectives on this issue)

[misanthrope]

108. So little children died

Way to go Kerr County.

[librechik]

111. If you don't take this "commie" money you will be sending your lying soul to hell.

That's the correct phrasing. And Democrats are not Satan, They are your neighbors and friends.

Nice job, Atwater and Gingrich. You made the country HATE again.

[EnergizedLib]

112. These people live in a different reality

President Biden governed like he cared about all Americans, whether they voted for him or not.