According to the Washington Times and other sources, the conservative Republicans are willing to vote in favor of additional funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) to deal with the recent flooding along the eastern seaboard but they want corresponding budget cuts to ensure federal government spending stays within the debt limit agreed to in July/August.
Reportedly, Democrats overwhelmingly opposed the measure because it offset $1.5 billion of $3.65 billion in disaster relief funding with a cut to a program that loans money to car companies to encourage the production of energy-efficient cars. They believe the government sponsored energy-efficient car loans program create jobs and FEMA, strained by repeated natural disasters, both need more funding.
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. The problem is the debt; the debt is the result of the spending. Our representatives must get control of the spending and start to reduce real (not just projected) spending.
The bill funded planned parenthood, UN population control and the implementation of Obamacare.
Why the so called “conservatives” in the House passed it, I don’t know.