January 4th, 2013
02:32 PM ET
10 years ago
Senate approves aid for Superstorm Sandy
(CNN) - The U.S. Senate gave final congressional approval on Friday to a scaled-back, $9.7 billion aid package for victims of Superstorm Sandy. A larger assistance plan will be considered later this month.
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I remember when The Senate was the dysfunctional one. I remember when the Senate was where legislation and good ideas go to die...now look at them. They have done 2 different things in 2 DAYS!!!
"scaled back"
People, we pay for their salaries and health benefits.
Why?
Better late than never. However, I'm still disgusted with the 112th Congress for their irresponsibility & negligence. It should NEVER, EVER, take 2 months to provide relief to your fellow Americans. As much as I disagree with Gov. Christie's policies, I couldn't agree with him more when he said "this is why Americans hate Congress."
It's all on the gop national disgrace party ,wait till the mid terms in2014 ,right around the corner and just try your blackmail on the debt ceiling and see what happens these are the bills from the gop in the house who control spending, their fighting againest themselves,the gop is a national and world joke and disgraced !!!!!! Good luck in 2014, not.
"scaled-back"
Of course. Why would the GOP/Teatrolls let a good crisis go to waste? Massive infrastructure damage, lost home and livelihoods...it all adds to the demand problem by removing those people from the demand pool and wrecking their life savings. These are people who are currently ramping up to use the debt ceiling hostage taking and a gov't shutdown threat to stall recovery....why would they not "scale back" aid to blue states hit by a massive natural disaster when it provides convenient help towards their goal of preventing any progress under a Dem POTUS?
I swear to almighty God that if republicans hold the faith and credit of the U.S. hostage again over the debt ceiling, they should be tried for SEDITION.
You guys need to look at this bill before you start calling people names. Significant portions of this bill are totally unrelated to relief for the areas that were affected by Hurricane Sandy. In it's original form the bill called for $60 billion dollars in spending. Do a Google search of "Hurricane Sandy damage estimates", you will be hard pressed to find to damage estimates much above $50 billion dollars. Some of these damage expenses will covered by private insurance. So explain to me how Republicans in the House are wrong by questioning the spending in this bill. In case you have forgotten, about 35 cents of every dollar the U.S. government spends is borrowed, mostly from China.
"You guys need to look at this bill before you start calling people names. "
Did that. Repblicans claimed all sorts of silly crap...like labeling funds for infrastructure repair and improvement to prevent future disasters from causing as much damage as "non sandy related." Why? GUess whether the people it would employ are unionized. Republicans were even proposing $24B at one point and now "scaled back" what they were willing to do to $9B. It's all BS designed to force the issue to come up again when NY, NJ, and CT...three very blue states...have to come crawling back later asking for more money from the GOP-controlled House. That will be promptly responded to wih GOPers spouting officious sounding Luntzian talking points and hemming and hawwing about excessive spending.
All we have to do is compare the manner in which EVERYONE would have reacted if this kind of delay and recalcitrance was exhibitted in response to what happened in Katrina, which effected predominantly red states. As it was, Bush got roasted for his lack of any sense of urgency in the face of that disaster. This time...all we're getting is the MSM helping the GOP use this mess as an excuse to broadcast their nonsense about the country's supposed "spending problem."
And let's understand something here:
Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-MS), whose Mississippi district is situated on the Gulf Coast and includes Biloxi, one of the most heavily damaged areas during Katrina, was one of 67 Republicans on Friday to vote against a $9.7 billion relief package to victims of Hurricane Sandy.
Don't tell us the GOP/Teatrolls' recalcitrance and lack of any sense of urgency in response to Sandy has nothing to do with NY, NJ and CT being blue states. That claim doesn't even pass the sniff test.
A right wingnut recently posted that the 2% payroll tax cut was a result of Little Bush. Two years ago it was enacted, so W was just a responsible for it as Mittens was for killing bin Laden. Yet 15% of the uninformed GOP thinks Mittens did that and W gets credit for Obama's tax cuts.
It is amazing that 30% of Americans still claim to be republicans after nearly destroying our country. Of course, 15% of republicans think Mittens killed bin Laden, 20% are birthers, 30% are domestic terrorists, and 25% think they need automatic weapons and extended clips to be able to hit the broad side of a barn.
Wow 60+ days after the fact..............please America 'can' each and every repuk in Congress, lets get our government working again.
In fact, let's have even more fun with this. This is from Palazzo's own website...an Aug 30, 2012 release:
"Biloxi, MS – Congressman Steven Palazzo, Mississippi's Fourth Congressional District Representative, today welcomed news that a major disaster declaration has been issued for the state of Mississippi to help communities recover from Hurricane Isaac.
“Some of the counties in the fourth congressional district have been the hardest hit by Isaac,” Palazzo stated. “This determination comes as good news to our local communities who are dealing with the effects of the storm. We cannot thank the governor’s office and FEMA enough for their continued support.”
Palazzo has been on the ground working with other federal, state, and local officials since before Hurricane Isaac first reached Mississippi’s shores on Tuesday, August 28th. "
So there he is...touting the wonders of federal aid in the wake of hurricane Isaac...and yet he voted against aid for Sandy victims. TELL US AGAIN THIS HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH NY, NJ, and CT BEING BLUE STATES. GO AHEAD, TELL US.
i was wondering, what happens to the money people donated to the red cross and all the concerts they had for the hurricane victims?
Good job–pat yourself back!! Became wiser with time. Know we are NOT pouring in Iraq, Afganistan nor 25 billion dollars to pervert Musharraf of Pakistan idiots where Bin Laden was hidden wrapping the eyes of "CRAFORD-IDIOT". With no brain.
And just a reminder: who was it lambasting Bush, his admin and the feds for their dilly-dallying on helping New Orleans and Katrina victims? That's right...us blue staters. Where's the reciprocity? At least we know who our brothers' keepers really are....you prove it for us every day, Teatrolls.
-Rick in OP
You guys need to look at this bill before you start calling people names. Significant portions of this bill are totally unrelated to relief for the areas that were affected by Hurricane Sandy. In it's original form the bill called for $60 billion dollars in spending. Do a Google search of "Hurricane Sandy damage estimates", you will be hard pressed to find to damage estimates much above $50 billion dollars. Some of these damage expenses will covered by private insurance. So explain to me how Republicans in the House are wrong by questioning the spending in this bill. In case you have forgotten, about 35 cents of every dollar the U.S. government spends is borrowed, mostly from China.
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If it were your town, your house, your state, would you really care about this? Nope. However, since this is affecting states that have habitually bailed out the Red, mismanaged, cash-strapped states that take more than they give to DC, how about we let them suffer so they get the real message about self-reliance? Attractive thought, but not good for the antion. However, the GOP has no problem screwing over regions they can't win in a general election. This is their petty, Objectivist philosophy at its worst.
@ Sniffit
"This time...all we're getting is the MSM helping the GOP use this mess as an excuse to broadcast their nonsense about the country's supposed "spending problem."
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Spending problem????????????????/
I call being $16 trillion dollars in debt with the debt increasing by over $1 trillion dollars a year a spending problem.
In case you have not figured it out on your own, we are broke.
"So there he is...touting the wonders of federal aid in the wake of hurricane Isaac...and yet he voted against aid for Sandy victims. TELL US AGAIN THIS HAD NOTHING TO DO WITH NY, NJ, and CT BEING BLUE STATES. GO AHEAD, TELL US."
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Brother Sniffit, he can't! Let's not forget the tornado victims of Joplin and swiftly they got their aid.
glad the senate did not waste any time. The republican party is a disgrace and someone posted (I think it was rudy from ny ) that the repos wanted to use this delay to reflect on the president. Surly not . Would they make fellow Americans suffer? Small businessmen loose their companies? Old people loose their homes and injure their health, Poor people go without shelter? Oh my gosh Isn't that what they tried to do with the cliff and now promise to do with the debt ceiling? Members of their own party are wondering what is going on with this heartless group of teabaggers.
"I call being $16 trillion dollars in debt with the debt increasing by over $1 trillion dollars a year a spending problem.
In case you have not figured it out on your own, we are broke."
In case you haven't figured out how the problem was created: we voluntarily decreased our income stream when it was actually meeting our expenses....and did so BEFORE cutting spending!
DERP!
These people are quickly going into history of our government as the most Contrary Bunch of Lunatics! I use the term 'lunatic' because they want to waste time voting on "banning words", more than getting rid of another roadblock of their own making! It's like being bullied by the highschool thug! But they're not even purposely doing it to us! They're in some heated, inside-DC squabble & have blinders on while obstructing progress! We're barely "collateral damage"! Too busy w/1upmanship(see:brinkmanship) to notice Real Life &/or the people who Actually keep the country running! We'll remember though & vote accordingly!!
Dutch/Bad Newz, VA
I swear to almighty God that if republicans hold the faith and credit of the U.S. hostage again over the debt ceiling, they should be tried for SEDITION.
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Heck, yes! As bad as it is that these GOP/TP idiots have stalled the vote on aid to the Hurricane Sandy victims (Paul Ryan would have been first in line to vote 'yes' if it had been a repeat of the 2008 midwest floods), there is also absolutely no excuse for holding the debt ceiling hostage.
Congress holds the purse strings; Congress has already authorized spending and has borrowed the funds to do so (guaranteeing that we will repay those funds).
To refuse to raise the debt limit is the equivalent of me running up my credit cards, and then refusing to pay the bill. Does anyone believe I could refuse to pay the credit cards while also demanding concessions? That is precisely what the nutty Congresscritters are threatening, and it is absolutely ludicris!!
Guess what that would do to my credit rating?
These GOP/TP idiots are risking not only the full faith and credit of the USA, but are also risking a worldwide economic meltdown that would make the 'great depression' look like child's play.
They are flat out idiots and treasonous if they go through with this little 'game' they are proposing. Guess what, it is not a game to the people (most of us) who will see our own savings/retirement/investments implode if they succeed, just as it is not a game for this bunch of thugs to refuse to help flood victims whose lives have been upended while the GOP 'plays'.
They just live in bizarro world, don't they?
Too little at this late date. they should do this in increments of not less than 20 billion and should be pre approved for the 60 billion estimated it will take and allow these towns and thier citizens to plan to rebuild their lives.
Make the congress do business in this ame environment and see how much would be allocated up front.
What a bunch of clowns. The GOP is a joke. They only love disaster aid and pork when it comes to THEIR States.