Before Trump’s Baltimore Tweets, Admin Tried To Cut Federal Rat Control Program

President Donald Trump speaks to members of the press before departing from the White House en route to Dayton, Ohio and El Paso, Texas on August 7, 2019. (Photo by Zach Gibson/Getty Images)
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President Donald Trump’s administration attempted to eliminate a federal program that combated rat infestations in Baltimore – four months before the President bashed the city as a “rat and rodent infested mess.”

The Baltimore Sun reported on Monday that the Trump administration’s budget proposal in March included ending the funding of the Community Development Block Grant.

According to the Sun, that program provides Baltimore’s main source of funding to combat rat infestations in public housing.

Four months later, Trump attacked Rep. Elijah Cummings (D-MD) via Twitter by calling his district a “disgusting, rat and rodent infested mess.”

Ironically, Baltimore properties owned by Trump’s son-in-law and White House adviser Jared Kushner were found to have rat infestation problems.

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Notable Replies

  1. Trump employs sleazy tactics to win, and we know that the ultimate winner of a “rat race” is still a “rat.”

  2. The distribution of smallpox infested blankets was vigorously debated before eventually losing out to lacing the municipal water supply with lead and mercury.

  3. Avatar for jmacaz jmacaz says:

    Who knew that it only took 4 months for a rat infestation to take control

  4. The administration probably blames the sloppy, careless, filthy residents for the problem. Why should the government take care of it? After all, never let facts get in the way of a good narrative. I’m sure Trump will be out soon with a tweet to defend this decision as to why isn’t Cummings taking care of his constituents?

    You know it’s coming.

  5. Somehow a thread about Trump and rats seems like a made-for-each-other combination. Like bacon 'n eggs, pizza 'n beer, Titanic 'n iceberg.

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