Summary

The Department of Transportation (DOT) has issued a memo prioritizing federal funding for communities with marriage and birth rates above the national average.

The directive, which applies to grants, loans, and contracts, also prioritizes projects benefiting families with young children.

A congressional aide criticized the policy, saying, “Considering fertility rates when prioritizing federal grants? We obviously have no idea what the full impact of that will be… It’s absolutely creepy. It’s a little ‘Chinese government.’”

The memo also blocks mask mandates and requires compliance with immigration enforcement.

  • Australis13@fedia.io
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    15 hours ago

    I feel like they’ve buried the lead.

    In addition to its directives related to marriage and babies, the Transportation Department’s memo blocks recipients of federal money from implementing “mask mandates,” a reference to requirements that transit agencies followed to limit the spread of infection during the height of COVID-19.

    The memo also requires recipients to comply with federal immigration enforcement in order to receive funding — the latest effort by the administration to target undocumented immigrants, conduct mass arrests and deportations, and deny federal transportation funds to so-called sanctuary cities.

    So (1) no ability for public transport systems to implement measures to stop pandemics (which will be important since avian flu is around the corner) and (2) no federal funding for transport to sanctuary cities (of which Washington D.C. is arguably one).

    • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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      10 hours ago

      Both of those are illegal. The president cannot impose extra strings on federal funding.

      • Reyali@lemm.ee
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        8 hours ago

        I know it’s possible for conditions to be tied to federal funding (like how interstate funds were withheld from Louisiana until they raised their drinking age to 21), so is it just that the Executive branch can’t impose that? (Genuinely asking since I’m not sure.)

        • Maggoty@lemmy.world
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          8 hours ago

          So, fun fact, that was also illegal. The MADD campaign was just so pervasive that nobody cared. Extra fun fact, it wasn’t a teenager problem, it was an education problem and is much reduced. The remaining people who drink and drive, or drink underage, just don’t care about the laws, so there’s no reason to keep the drinking age laws except for tradition at this point.

      • Noel_Skum@sh.itjust.works
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        14 hours ago

        Both spellings are correct and do not impact the meaning. “Lede” has only this one meaning whilst “Lead” can mean a few different things.

        • go $fsck yourself@lemmy.world
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          12 hours ago

          For more context, the phrase started as “lead” then was changed by journalists to “lede” in the 70’s to help differentiate between “lead”, “lead”, and “lead”.

        • spongebue@lemmy.world
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          12 hours ago

          But “burying the lede” is a common term in journalism for exactly this kind of thing. “Burying the lead” is common only in that it’s a mistake people say because it’s phonetically similar (plus “lede” is an uncommon word, I’ll admit)

          Kind of like should’ve vs should of. Have and of are both words, but one is very wrong.

          • Noel_Skum@sh.itjust.works
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            8 hours ago

            No. I’m sorry, you are wrong. Both spellings are equally valid. In English-speaking newsrooms across the globe either spelling is acceptable.

      • Australis13@fedia.io
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        15 hours ago

        Thanks. Just did a quick search and it seems that spelling is more prominent in the US than elsewhere, which is probably why I’m not familiar with it.

    • CharlesDarwin@lemmy.world
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      12 hours ago

      The right wingers are just so chock full of rage-filled idiots. Wearing a mask IS annoying, but you aren’t some kind of freedom-fighter to not wear one and go out of your way to disrupt public health, FFS.

      But that’s how all of these assholes see themselves: vanguards of “freedom”. By completely ruining any chance of a sane response to a pandemic.