Ed Morrissey: It seems that the rich just keep getting wealthier… Government Disaster Aid

Today’s mystery: How did 15% of Connecticut’s lower-income disaster relief funding from Hurricane Sandy end up in the hands of million-dollar home owners? Politico takes on the role of Hercule poirot today. He reaches back nearly a decade in order to find out why $6.4million of Housing and Urban Development funds were sent to 62 members the upper crust.

The culprit turns out to be … the Obama administration and a little-noticed rules change This is the HUD Funds’ weak means test:

A review of records in many towns revealed that 62 houses with a value of more than $1 million on the Connecticut Gold Coast were eligible for aid to cover Sandy-related repairs. The homeowners were awarded $6.4million, which is 15% of the $44million in HUD aid for home repairs.

According to the U.S. Census Bureau, Connecticut’s median home value is $311,500.

E&E News reported that the payments were made after a small change in department regulations in 2013. This allowed states to reimburse wealthy homeowners for repairs to their homes. This was a significant policy shift for the only disaster program designed to aid low-income persons. Even though Sandy aid was the only beneficiary of this change, HUD has provided similar flexibility to other states after major disasters.

One waterfront home in Darien, Conn. worth $5.5 Million, featuring five bedrooms and a pool, was owned by a $150,000 buyer.

After receiving a $150,000 grant, another owner sold their house for $2.6million.

Twelve of the 62 homes are worth more than $2 million, according to E&E News’ analysis of local assessors’ records.

Don’t blame Use this sitePolitico spoke with officials from Connecticut. The change in the federal rules allowed for wide-open disbursements, they claim, and they’re right — to a point. The HUD regulations

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