Edited For Clarity

We have mentioned before (here and here) about how Eric Cantor has said he will block relief funds without offsetting cuts. He threatened to do it with funds for relief in Joplin, MO after their devastating F5 tornado, and again with Hurricane Irene. Apparently, the outcry about his positions did nothing to change the Republican mindset, and last night they voted to block a FEMA funding bill, never allowing it to come to a vote. Via Raw Story:

A package of disaster relief funding worth $7 billion was blocked from coming up for a vote by Senate Republicans on Monday, drawing sharp condemnation from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) who lambasted the conservative party for abandoning Americans in need.

“Last night, Democrats tried to move forward on a measure that would have granted the Federal Emergency Management Agency additional funding to help communities devastated by natural disasters,” Sen. Reid said in an advisory.

“This ought to be the least political issue going – whether to reach out a helping hand to our friends and neighbors in their time of need,” he continued. “They have lost friends and loved ones. Their homes, businesses and livelihoods have been destroyed by acts of god. Their communities are under water or reduced to rubble.

…

The vote was 53-33, with Republicans uniting against measure that would have brought the aid package to a vote and put a rush on some emergency funds. A 60-vote majority was required to pass it.

“They don’t need help next week or next month,” Reid railed. “They need it now. They need it today.”

He added that because of the increased number of natural disasters this year, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) has just over $300 million left. President Barack Obama has issued disaster declarations in 48 states since the beginning of 2011.

The funds are so low, Reid said, that FEMA has stopped rebuilding the town of Joplin, Missouri, which was practically destroyed by tornadoes earlier this year. It withdrew funding for the Joplin rebuilding in order to provide food and shelter to the victims of Hurricane Irene.

So – flooding victims aren’t getting the funds, and the people of Joplin are being victimized again, not by an act of God but an act of Senate Republicans. Keep in mind that this wasn’t a vote to deny the funds. It was a vote to deny the funding ever being considered. Maybe they thought that if it didn’t come up for a full vote, they could sweep it under the rug. I have a hunch those folks who have lost homes, businesses – even family members – won’t be so eager to see this swept away without full consideration.

Disaster relief is one of the things that government is best suited for. But as the constant drone from the right tells us, we should have no government. That somehow, these people should be able to fend for themselves when these disasters happen. As Ron Paul said in the CNN/Tea Party Express debate, that’s freedom.

In this case, it’s the freedom to lose everything you own and care about, and not get any help in recovering. I hope the folks in these hard-hit areas remember who pulled the rug out from under them when the 2012 elections roll around.

• Pin It
• Share
• Tweet

Related posts:

1. Cantor Rails Against Federal Disaster Aid – Unless He REALLY Needs It Most recently, Cantor said the same concept should apply to relief for last week's Hurricane Irene, and that any funds spent on disaster relief need to be offset by spending...
2. Cantor Playing Politics With Joplin Disaster This, folks, is where the GOP is headed. Cut taxes to the richest patrons, but when disaster hits, you'll have to fund it from something else in the budget. Continue...
3. Republicans vs. The Constitution – New Update 8/12/11 The GOP has made it a priority to mention how much they want judges to follow the Constitution, how much they believe in upholding the Constitution, how they want to...
4. Republicans’ Impossible Math While their record says otherwise, Republicans still like to portray themselves as deficit hawks, pretending they have the answer to reducing the budget deficit. Of course, the first thing they...
5. #EFCpolfacts – S&P Specifically Names Republicans Unwillingness To Raise Revenues In Downgrade Although Republicans are trying to spin this otherwise, the S&P report on the credit downgrade specifically names the Republicans unwillingness to raise revenues as a reason for the downgrade....