GOP demands more FEMA funding (and less infrastructure investment)

Hurricane Irene was less severe than predicted, but its wide swath of destruction will end up being extremely expensive. FEMA is already low on available disaster assistance funds. The agency will restrict payments going to long-term rebuilding projects at previous disaster sites (sorry, Joplin) in order to respond to emergencies across the entire eastern seaboard. And, of course, Republicans are playing politics with FEMA funding. That is to say, they're demanding more FEMA funding, and blaming the White House for budget shortfalls.

From the Washington Post:

On Saturday, House Appropriations Committee Chairman Hal Rogers (R-Ky.) urged the Senate to quickly approve the House GOP version of the annual Homeland Security spending measure that includes $1 billion for additional disaster funding this year and $2.65 billion for fiscal 2012.

"Time and time again, the administration has ignored the obvious funding needs of the Disaster Relief Fund, purposefully and irresponsibly underfunding the account and putting families and communities who have suffered from terrible disasters on the back burner," Rogers said. "Now the administration has let the fund reach critically low levels, putting continued recovery at risk, without a plan for the future or a clear method for dealing with new disasters."

http://www.salon.com/news/politics/republican_party/index.html?story=/politics/war_room/2011/08/29/disasters_infrastructure

They can't govern, they just play political games.

Less funding for wars, banksters and the super-rich?

When's the primary and where do you live?

Gee I wonder how much of the blame he is willing to take for the mess this country is in.........

http://www.slate.com/content/slate/blogs/weigel/2011/03/11/gop_s_continuing_resolution_cuts_funding_for_national_weather_service_fema.html



Hypocrites

...if they would bury utility lines.

to put trees in and such? I am not sure the benefits outweigh the costs.