““Finding some way to offset is not the priority,” said Sen. Roy Blunt (R-Mo.), a member of Senate GOP leadership who opposed the $50.5 billion Sandy aid package at the beginning of the year. “Meeting the known and immediate needs as quickly as possible is the priority.” […]
“I really don’t think disasters of this type should be offset,” Rogers said Tuesday. “We have an obligation to help those people. We’ll worry about our budgetary items back here, but the aid has to be there.”
“We have never done that with a real emergency,” said Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, when asked about offsetting disaster relief funds.”
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“I really don’t think disasters of this type should be offset,” Rogers said Tuesday. “We have an obligation to help those people. We’ll worry about our budgetary items back here, but the aid has to be there.”
“We have never done that with a real emergency,” said Sen. Richard Shelby of Alabama, the top Republican on the Senate Appropriations Committee, when asked about offsetting disaster relief funds.”
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Key Republicans: No offsets for Oklahoma - Manu Raju - POLITICO.com
Richard Shelby at least voted for Sandy aid, but it’s notable that Republicans have done that with a real emergencyquite recently, including both of Oklahoma’s senators, Tom Coburn and James Inhofe.