From the Raw Story:
A package of disaster relief funding worth $7 billion was blocked from coming up for a vote by Senate Republicans on Monday, drawing sharp condemnation from Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid (D-NV) who lambasted the conservative party for abandoning Americans in need.
“Last night, Democrats tried to move forward on a measure that would have granted the Federal Emergency Management Agency additional funding to help communities devastated by natural disasters,” Sen. Reid said in an advisory.
…
The vote was 53-33, with Republicans uniting against measure that would have brought the aid package to a vote and put a rush on some emergency funds.
Unbelievable. Or, more accurately, totally predictable. And if you think this is going to make teabaggers in the affected areas change their politics, forget it. Not smart enough.
The reason these funds are being withheld is because a fairly large amount of damage was in places like Lee, Massachusetts which is well known to be the geographical center of the Communist Plot for World Domination now that China is not into that thing as much
For example:
I once had a cat born of Arlo’s cat, actually acquired at “Alice’s.” Being only about 6 and lacking imagination, I named it Arlo. Didn’t live long. I’m pretty sure it was flushed down the toilet by … well, someone. Funny that I don’t have more trust issues.
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I don’t know which is worse; The fact that getting 61% of votes cast isn’t enough to pass a bill, or that only 86 Senators bothered to show up.
And they all moved away from me on the group W bench . . .
Actually the bill has been passed , but it was NOT a bill to fund FEMA.
http://www.dailykos.com/story/2011/09/13/1016334/-Today-in-Congress?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+dailykos%2Findex+%28Daily+Kos%29
It was a bill to extend sanctions against the government of Burma. Seriously! Burma!… oh and the Democrats decided to attach a rider that funded FEMA as part of the same bill.
Now I dont know why republicans are so hot about extending sanctions against Burma, but lets be fair, the bill was not entirely about FEMA – Republicans still have some explaining to do.
the Democrats decided to attach a rider that funded FEMA as part of the same bill.
You say that like the Democrats just invented riders.
Personally, I think there should be a no-rider rule, like we have in Minnesota. But it is how it is done.
Reminds me of The Simpsons.
SPEAKER
Then it is unanimous, we are going to approve the bill to evacuate the town of Springfield in the great state of–
CONGRESSMAN
Wait a second, I want to tack on a rider to that bill – $30 million of taxpayer money to support the perverted arts.
SPEAKER
All in favor of the amended Springfield-slash-pervert bill?
FLOOR
Boo!
SPEAKER
Bill defeated.
No I never intended it to sound that way, of course riders are ubiquitous in current politics, and I agree with you that a no-rider rule would be preferred.
My point, made poorly, was that the bill was not solely about FEMA as the linked article seemed to imply, because it was attached to other legislation there may have been other reasons why it was opposed than the purely evil right wing reasons we assumed.