Sep 27, 2011
Cantor’s Controversial Disaster Relief Position Takes Further Heat
Editorials across the country continue to pile up against Republican Leader Eric Cantor and House Republicans’ extreme position that disaster relief cannot be funded until House Republicans enact more of their radical agenda. The backlash has led some of Cantor’s own House Republicans to be scared off from his controversial plan, and even one Republican candidate for President has stepped away from Cantor’s controversial proposal. Last night, Senate Democrats stopped the Cantor proposal for now.
Take a look for yourself.
*New* NEPA chokes on poison pill [PA Times Tribune]
“Much of Northeast Pennsylvania needs federal assistance to recover from flooding, but the region's two U.S. representatives offer a poison pill. Rep. Lou Barletta, 11th District Republican, and Rep. Tom Marino, 10th District Republican, stood Friday with House Majority Leader Eric Cantor as he lamented that the Senate had delayed a vote on a House bill to fund disaster relief. […] Disaster relief should be a bipartisan initiative devoid of quid pro quos. Mr. Marino and Mr. Barletta should work to remove the poison pill in order to ensure that FEMA can do its job.” [The Times Tribune, 9/24/11]
*New* Congress shouldn't hold disaster victims hostage [New Oreleans Times-Picayune]
“Replenishing a federal disaster fund that is running dangerously short of money is something Congress ought to do, instead of leaving victims of Hurricane Irene and other disasters hanging. But legislation to give FEMA money to deal with a spate of disasters is caught up in a political brawl over whether such spending should be offset by other budget cuts -- a position that has been staked out by House Republicans.” [The Times-Picayune, 9/25/11]
*New* Congress, don't let disaster relief become another political hostage [NJ Star-Ledger]
“House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, a Republican from Virginia So far, at least, the conservative cabal in the House that wants to attach strings to Hurricane Irene aid is losing the fight. Last night, the House rejected a plan to link emergency aid to cuts in other programs. But this beast may not be dead yet. The House still must pass a continuing resolution to provide money to keep the government running. And that bill has yet to take shape. For now, it’s back to the drawing board. They may try again. The worry is that if tea party ideologues get their way, FEMA emergency relief could go the route of the debt ceiling: yet another political hostage in the endless war over deficit spending.” [Star-Ledger, 9/22/11]
*New* Put FEMA above politics when it comes to disaster relief [FL Sun Sentinel]
“Congress is playing politics and trying to play Mother Nature at the same time — and it's not doing a good job at either. And while it dallies and plays its partisan bickering games, the nation's federal relief fund to help stricken communities has dwindled to $236 million, which is little more than coins-under-the-sofa-cushion money when it comes to disasters. Last week, the Democratic-controlled Senate overcame Republican filibusters to pass a bid to add nearly $7 billion to the fund overseen by the Federal Emergency Management Agency. But the GOP-led House plans to push a bill this week that would provide only $3.7 billion, and would require that at least part of it be carved from other places in the budget.” [Sun Sentinel, 9/22/11]
Irene disaster funds shouldn’t be tied to spending reductions [PA News Eagle]
“In the contentious debate over spending and reducing the nation’s massive debt, Rep. Tom Reed (R-N.Y.) hasn’t wavered in his belief that big spending cuts are imperative for the health of our government and country. Most of us wouldn’t argue with that view, although how those cuts are achieved and their time frame can certainly be debated. But to govern effectively, there must be exceptions. One is in time of war. Another is in time of disaster. […] But Reed agrees with House Republican Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s contention that any disaster spending should be offset by budget cuts elsewhere.” [PA News Eagle, 9/15/11]
Fortifying FEMA [The Providence Journal]
“Damage from Tropical Storm Irene is still being assessed. But the tally is bound to be great: Estimates run as high as $12 billion (mostly from inland flooding), which could rank Irene, though its winds were generally weak, among the most expensive natural disasters in U.S. history. Meanwhile, the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) is running low on funds, and its predicament could become the subject of another political brawl in Washington, possibly delaying aid. […] Some Republicans suggest that private insurance alone should pay for natural disasters. But private insurance will not cover ruined roads or sewage-treatment plants. And in the case of Irene, it is expected to cover even less damage for homeowners than usual, since so much came from flooding — not typically insured.” [The Providence Journal, 9/6/11]
Government must help after disaster [Greensboro News Record]
“[…] No one in Raleigh is saying cuts will have to be made in other areas of spending to replace what goes to fixing hurricane damage. The money was already included in the budget. With luck, most will never be tapped. But responsible leaders put it there just in case. It seems to be a different story in Washington, where political bickering has followed in Irene's wake. It began with a statement from the office of House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., that federal disaster-relief outlays would have to be offset by cuts elsewhere. […] One of the main responsibilities of government at all levels is to help when disaster strikes. North Carolina is in a good position to do its part after Irene. Questions about FEMA's capabilities and the commitment of Congress need to be settled before the next storm hits.” [Greensboro News Record 9/6/11]
Don't hold FEMA hostage [Montgomery Adviser]
“It would be irresponsible for Congress to allow new funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency to get caught up in another budget tug-of-war, possibly further delaying rebuilding projects in Alabama and in Joplin, Mo., following disastrous tornadoes in April and May. […] But Congress -- ah, Congress -- could make a bad situation much worse. House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., suggested that offsetting budget cuts in other programs must be found before approving new funding for FEMA. […] It is imperative that Congress and the nation hold a reasoned debate on reducing the national debt. But FEMA's ability to respond to hurricanes, tornadoes and earthquakes should not be at the epicenter of that debate.” [Montgomery Adviser 9/3/11]
Federal spending fight shouldn't block FEMA aid money [Poughkeepsie Journal]
“[…] House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., started a firestorm by suggesting any new aid will require offsetting spending cuts. Locally, U.S. Rep. Nan Hayworth, R-Mount Kisco, is distancing herself from those comments. While expressing confidence Congress will find a way within the federal budget to accommodate the FEMA funding, Hayworth says the emergency aid won't be impeded. […] The broader views about federal spending are not without merit — the country does need to get its fiscal house in order and cut into its massive deficit. But, right now, those views come off as tone deaf, lacking a compassionate understanding of what needs to occur first.” [Poughkeepsie Journal, 9/2/11]
Hayworth's response is cruel, but not unusual [NY Times Herald Record]
“All across this region, neighbors are pitching in to help. Elected officials — at least most of them — are patrolling the damaged streets, making lists of what needs to be repaired first and what has to wait. Utility crews are working around the clock, sometimes making minor repairs, sometimes reconstructing long sections of power lines brought down by winds and trees. […] All of this may seem obvious, but it needs repeating because one person who is in a position to help, Rep. Nan Hayworth, R-Mount Kisco, doesn't get it. She looks at the disaster that blew in last weekend and blew over so many hopes and lives and sees not the devastation from high winds and high water but the same thing she always sees, the devastation wrought by high taxes.” [NY Times Herald Record, 9/2/11]
Don't play politics with Hurricane Irene disaster aid [Times of Trenton]
“Witnessing lawmakers mouth rhetoric instead of facing reality, waiting as they hold help hostage to the political objectives of a few firebrands, is nearly as distressing as the ravaging hurricane. This is an emergency, not time for a long-winded, self-aggrandizing debate on deficit spending. While President Barack Obama has declared New Jersey eligible for disaster relief, FEMA has less than $800 million to begin handing out. Gov. Christie estimates it will take billions to get New Jersey back on its feet — and there are other states waiting in line. Congress must act to get that aid where it is needed now. There will be plenty of time later to work out the math. Every day that passes is another day’s worth of misery for the hurricane victims in New Jersey and elsewhere along the East Coast. As for talk of the budgeting issues — as the governor might say, knock it off.” [Times of Trenton, 9/2/11]
Cantor sets off hurricane of a controversy [USA Today]
“Of all the things Rep. Eric Cantor has said since becoming House majority leader, nothing has touched off a Category 5 controversy like his insistence that federal disaster relief for flood-ravaged states such as Vermont and New Jersey be offset with spending cuts elsewhere. […] It would, indeed, be unconscionable to hold up aid for victims of Hurricane Irene, both for compassionate reasons and because it adds up to just a tiny fraction of federal spending.” [USA Today, 9/1/11]]
FEMA faces another storm [Sun Sentinel]
“Irene is gone, but the storm proved one thing: The nation's emergency response agency has made strides since its "heck-of-a-job-Brownie" days. Following last week's storm, the Federal Emergency Management Administration has drawn accolades from all quarters — a far cry from the criticism that followed Hurricane Katrina in 2005. Unfortunately, a different type of storm — this one brewing in the halls of Congress — threatens to undermine FEMA's work. Lawmakers spoiling for another budgetary brawl are putting FEMA in the untenable position of having to choose between decimated communities when providing dwindling post-disaster assistance.” [Sun Sentinel 9/1/11]
The real bottom line comes in lives saved [NY Times Herald Record]
“[…] With people mourning loved ones and wondering how to rebuild their homes and their lives, Cantor might have had the decency to deflect such questions, a skill at which he and all politicians excel. Having shown at least that minimal amount of humanity, he then could engage in the debate his remarks inspire. Do we as Americans believe that our compassion is always to be calculated on a spreadsheet? Do we always assume that those who have paid will never be asked to pay more? […] We cannot have any influence on Eric Cantor, but the members of his party, especially those in Congress, such as Rep. Nan Hayworth, need to repudiate this way of thinking clearly and quickly.” [NY Times Herald Record, 8/30/11]
How to pay for disasters [Los Angeles Times]
“The federal government's approach to emergency relief has long been to open its checkbook and pay whatever it took to get communities back on their feet. Agencies had budgets for disaster response, but nature defied prediction; overruns were the rule, not the exception. After Hurricane Irene flooded large swathes of the Northeast, however, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) declared that the era of the open checkbook was over. Instead of borrowing from the future to pay for repairs, Cantor said, Congress must offset any new relief spending with cuts in other programs. He's right that Washington needs a better approach to disaster relief, but that's not it.” [Los Angeles Times, 8/31/11]
Disaster aid is no arena to play politics [The Times-Picayune]
“Hurricane Irene's punch in the Northeast wasn't as widespread as feared. But it was still devastating for communities that flooded in Vermont, New Jersey, New York and other states. People in those areas will need federal assistance to rebuild their lives as well as bridges, roads and other infrastructure damaged by the disaster. […] House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, however, is demanding that any new disaster spending be offset by cuts in other federal programs. Louisiana Reps. Steve Scalise and Jeff Landry are misguided to back that proposal. They need to remember that a time of disaster is not a time to play politics.” [The Times-Picayune, 8/31/11]
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