Democrats decry GOP’s ‘stingy’ FEMA funding bill

the hill ^ | 9-23-11 | Erica Wisniewski

[WOBBLY BOB]

House Democrats took to the floor on Wednesday, characterizing a provision for disaster-relief in the GOP's short-term spending measure as “stingy” and a “disgrace.” Democrats oppose the provision for $3.7 billion in disaster relief because Republicans have offset the funds by cutting from a fuel-efficiency program, the Department of Energy’s Advanced Vehicle Manufacturing Loan Program. Democrats say they won't support the bill because the cuts will hurt job creation. In a floor speech, Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) deemed the Republican’s FEMA bill “frugal and cheap.” Criticizing the bill for its offsets from the DOE program, Ellison said the bill “is the most stingy, short-sighted, poorest form of representative government I've ever seen. It is outrageous to tell Americans facing disaster that you don't get any help unless you can find how to squeeze it out somewhere.”

[WOBBLY BOB]

Hey, Keith X, we're broker than broke you jackwagon.

[Sir Napsalot]

>>> Democrats decry GOP’s ‘stingy’ FEMA funding bill

Ask him (them) where they would shift funding to beef up FEMA then.

EPA?
DOE?

(And of course we all know the answer, military)

[WOBBLY BOB]

More funding for electric cars is the Rat priority. And look how great that’s working out:
“The shocking truth about electric cars”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2772452/posts

“GAO: Electric Cars Won’t Reduce Carbon Emissions”
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2289856/posts

[alloysteel]

Stingy? Whatever happened to “pay as you go”? The Democrats are unwilling to give up ANY pet project for emergencies like this, and even FEMA is an example of poor allocation of resources.

A block grant to the states affected would be much more efficient and effectual.

[Cheerio]

"Senate Democrats on Friday blocked a House Republican stopgap budget plan, intensifying a bitter impasse that threatens to bring government operations to a halt in a matter of days."

Ohhh, those nasty evil GOP OBSTRUCTIONISTS !!!! The RATS are just imploding.

[WOBBLY BOB]

After the vote last night, the main stream media glossed over the 182 Democrats that opposed the measure and immediately began to focus on the 48 Republicans who are "refusing to compromise". While there is no doubt more of the story yet to be told, one has to wonder why Congress (especially considering the recent struggles over the debt ceiling and the resulting dissatisfaction with both Republicans and Democrats in Congress) would immediately return to traditional spending practices.

Arguably, the general public is looking for fiscal restraint and responsibility, even if it means cutting current spending to fund emergency aid. This, however, is not necessarily where the main stream media or, for that matter, the majority of our Congressional membership is focused.

We should now expect the media to focus on the 48 House members who voted against the measure with terms like "obstructionists" and "ideologues" instead of the real problem(s) that face our nation and our future.

[Roland]

Is this article severely mistitled, or am I reading it incorrectly? My interpretation is a cut to clean energy programs not FEMA.

[WOBBLY BOB]

R’s want to offset spending increase for FEMA by cutting somewhere else.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2782771/posts

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2782683/posts

Democrats Threaten Government Shutdown, Hold Up Of Disaster Relief, To Protect Green Energy Cronies

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-bloggers/2782727/posts

[sickoflibs]

RE :”It is outrageous to tell Americans facing disaster that you don't get any help unless you can find how to squeeze it out somewhere.”

This the first battle since the debt limit bill and it seems like Democrats are demanding Republicans let Obama out of his ‘not-so-grand debt deal’ by asking for more unpaid spending.

A few conservatives joined unified Democrats in voting down the House bill the other day (yesterday??)

This is like the first big battle, Hurricane Relief is just more popular handouts that in the past just got added to the debt.

Stay tuned to see if Boehner caves again.

[Roland]

Exactly, but the rats attempt to paint it as a cut to FEMA because no one cares about cutting clean energy funding and crony capitalism.

[JPG]

‘Pay As You Go’ by rat decree was never meant to apply or to be used except in ‘emergency’ situations. Ergo, every time the rats borrowed more money to do whatever, it was always described as an ‘emergency’. The rats are shameless...more, more, more, gimme, gimme, gimme...even too much is never enough.

[henkster]

Boehner already caved by considering another “continuing resolution” to fund the government, and the FEMA slush fund is only one aspect of it.

We shouldn’t even have a continuing resolution, instead governments are supposed to have these things called “budgets” and if memory serves me correctly, the House of Representatives already passed one. However, Harry Dingleberry Reid’s Senate is doing what the Senate does best, which is shirk their Constitutional duty, and haven’t considered the budget yet.

Boehner should have said “we did our job and passed a budget, go talk to the Senate about it.” And nothing more.

[JPG]

oops..’was never meant to apply to emergency situations’. Not except emergency situations..

[Sir Napsalot]

That was my point. The socialists love to ‘spread the wealth’, so they need to take money from somewhere to fund FEMA on top of the current funding.

The local states control their own emergency is good on paper and up to individual states. But I won’t trust them handling the funding completely. In cash stripped states/cities, who knows how the money is shifted for ‘other emergencies’ like supporting unions of all sorts.

But some type of emergencies are beyond each state, and then you have the Gov. Blanco (who gives blank stares) and Mayor “Chocolate City”. True, people have to power to remove them, but it was too late.

[WOBBLY BOB]

my bet would be on more caving.

Maybe Ellison and Boehner can cry together and hug each other.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BuIbOQNdNJA&feature=related

[WOBBLY BOB]

Eight Hundred Days Without A Budget-A new milestone in Democrat Party governance is reached.

http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/2753546/posts

[olezip]

Criticizing the bill for its offsets from the DOE program, Ellison said the bill “is the most stingy, short-sighted, poorest form of representative government I've ever seen. It is outrageous to tell Americans facing disaster that you don't get any help unless you can find how to squeeze it out somewhere.”

To me nearly $4 billion is a lot of money. How effective and efficient has FEMA been? Do not tell me that they bought 10,000 house trailers really quickly. Yes they all get cash bonuses for buying them, and then find out they only needed 5.

[Marine_Uncle]

"Democrats say they won't support the bill because the cuts will hurt job creation."
The level of deceit is well beyond a normal persons ability to perceive.

[sickoflibs]

RE "Democrats say they won't support the bill because the cuts will hurt job creation." The level of deceit is well beyond a normal persons ability to perceive. "

To Democrats 'job creation' is hiring a government worker. I wish Republicans had the guts to call it welfare, that would be f n to watch.

[Marine_Uncle]

It would be more fun to watch large numbers of demorats loss their jobs in both sides of Congress.