How typical. Grab the money for your own district and then veto needed emergency funds for anyone else's. What the hell is wrong with conservatives that they never, ever want to help anyone who's not affiliated with them?
DENVER — Under strong pressure from New York and New Jersey elected officials, the House of Representatives Friday passed a $9.7 billion federal aid package for victims of Hurricane Sandy.
In a rare bipartisan vote, the measure passed 354-67 and is now headed on to the Senate, where it’s certain to pass.
In the House, not a single Democrat voted no.
At least one of the 67 conservative Republicans who opposed the bill is just months removed from seeing a natural disaster devastate his own district.
That would be Rep. Doug Lamborn of Colorado Springs, where the Waldo Canyon Fire last June destroyed close to 350 homes and led to $352.6 million in insurance claims.
Following that fire, Lamborn signed onto a letter along with the other members of the Colorado congressional delegation asking the White House for additional FEMA disaster relief.
Two months earlier, Lamborn had actually introduced his own legislation aimed at limiting executive disaster declarations and federal dollars they free up.
“Most disasters – tornadoes, snowstorms, fires, floods – are state and local issues,” Lamborn said in a press release announcing the move. “Last year, President Obama issued over 240 FEMA disaster declarations, breaking the previous by over 80. Obama increased the national debt with his very generous use of ‘disaster declarations.”
On Friday, the other three Colorado Republican House members, Reps. Mike Coffman, Cory Gardner and Scott Tipton, all voted in favor of the Sandy relief package.
