With major hurricane looming, is federal aid in doubt?
Hurricane Irene, now a Category 3 storm, is headed up the Eastern Seaboard, threatening considerable damage and loss of life.
As the Weather Channel puts it, “this is a particularly threatening situation … computer models are currently trending toward a forecast solution of rare potency for portions of the Northeast. … Irene has the potential to be a serious and multi-hazard threat for the major metropolitan areas of the Mid-Atlantic and Northeast. This includes Norfolk, D.C., Baltimore, Philadelphia, New York City, Hartford, and Boston.”
At this stage, Irene is predicted to still be a Category 2 storm, with winds of 100 mph, by the time it hits the Washington, D.C. area sometime Sunday morning. A storm that big, hitting a handful of the nation’s densest urban areas almost simultaneously in a region not conditioned to hurricanes, has the potential to be a major disaster, requiring a full-out response by local, state and federal officials.
Or, maybe not.
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, for example, has consistently argued that any appropriation for emergency relief must be offset by spending cuts elsewhere in the budget. With a major hurricane headed Virginia’s way, his office confirms has already announced that remains his position. And as we all already know, raising taxes to make the spending revenue-neutral won’t be an option either.
That approach is consistent with what Mitt Romney said back in June, in a GOP debate held shortly after tornadoes had destroyed much of Joplin, Missouri.
In a response to a question from John King, Romney said he would oppose federal disaster aid that would increase the deficit, proposing instead to leave that duty to the states. Given the chance by King to back off that position regarding relief operations in a major natural disaster, Romney refused, reiterating that we simply can’t afford it:
We cannot — we cannot afford to do those things without jeopardizing the future for our kids. It is simply immoral, in my view, for us to continue to rack up larger and larger debts and pass them on to our kids, knowing full well that we’ll all be dead and gone before it’s paid off. It makes no sense at all.”
There is, I suppose, a certain consistency in that position. As the argument goes, the words “hurricane”, “disaster” and even “storm” appear nowhere in the Constitution. In fact, under the conservative, states’ rights interpretation of the 10th Amendment so favored by Cantor, Rick Perry and others, it might even be unconstitutional for the federal government to respond to such a disaster.
While liberals might try to cite language in the Constitution that gives Congress the power to “provide for the common Defence and general Welfare of the United States,” conservatives have made it pretty clear that the provision in question doesn’t apply in such matters.
As the Heritage Foundation helpfully explains in its guide to the Constitution prepared for members of Congress, “spending under the clause (must) be for the ‘general’ (that is, national) welfare and not for purely local or regional benefit.”
It goes on to quote James Madison to that same effect, arguing that congressional spending power is limited “to purposes of common defence, and of general, national, not local, or state, benefit.” It further notes that “the Fourth Congress did not believe it had the power to provide relief to the citizens of Savannah, Georgia, after a devastating fire destroyed the entire city.”
In this case, Hurricane Irene is projected to wreak havoc from North Carolina all the way north through Virginia and Maryland and on up into Massachusetts. While that comprises most, but not all, of the 13 original colonies, it doesn’t affect states such as California, Oregon, Iowa and even Georgia, not to mention Hawaii and Alaska.
In other words, sorry Eastern Seaboard. You’re on your own. Let us know how it all turns out for you.
– Jay Bookman
NOTE: This post has been edited slightly since the orginal posting.
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354 comments Add your comment
lynnie gal
August 25th, 2011
10:42 pm
Republicans want to make sure we all pay for their wars with our taxes and the blood of our sons, but if Americans need help in natural disasters, health, food or anything else, they turn their backs and say–you’re on your own. And many of them claim to be Christian. I don’t want any part of religion they’re selling, and their politics stinks.
j$
August 25th, 2011
11:04 pm
Wan, settle down mf.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KUwjNBjqR-c
clean up your yard
August 25th, 2011
11:14 pm
Cantor is the perfect example of those compassionate religious conservatives. Can you say hypocrite?
Martin Williams
August 25th, 2011
11:29 pm
This great country of ours is full of millions and millions of stupid idiots. We will pay to invade and kill people in other countries and can’t take care of our own due to concern about the deficit. Well folks, America will always be in deficit and I am gussing it started around the end of world II. Of course Vietnam made it really worst and look into how much money we spend every single week protecting north/south Korea from each order. We even give them physical cash. Damn, folks work up.
C from Marietta
August 26th, 2011
12:20 am
Mr Jay,
What a cowardly blog this is……..
Please only pull part of what Majority Leaders full speech. Only quote one paragraph. Are you really this petty? Yes, you, the Democrats, and Republicans really are that lame and petty. That is why the country is going down the drain.
C from Marietta
August 26th, 2011
12:32 am
LOL. “Mexico is a world leader in that area” What area is that drug lords and cheap labor? Now I have read everything. HA HA HA.
C from Marietta
August 26th, 2011
12:36 am
lynnie gal
I love how you paint all Christians that way. I cold and non helping. What world do you live in? My Christian friends are helping in shelters everyday. My how we spew the hate. While saying “they hate”. Take a look in the mirror and NO I am not a Republican. Republican and Democrats are the same in my eyes. Divided and full of it!
C from Marietta
August 26th, 2011
12:40 am
Wake up People. They have you conned. It is all a sham. They want you divided and hating one another. By reading this blog. It appears they have won. Everyone is waiting for a hero to come in and change everyone’s life. That hero is NOT coming. We are on OUR own.
DBCOOPER
August 26th, 2011
6:21 am
Hey …I’m sure Obama’s got a “Happy Meal” for all Hurricane victims. Tax payer funded of course.
I have an idea! They can get Habitat to rebuild after all National Disasters.
I don’t want to give these guys any ideas but ….just sayin.?
Or Warren Buffet and all the evil Rich people can pay for all relef efforts.
Gordon
August 26th, 2011
6:58 am
“What a lovely and caring man Eric Cantor is!”
And what lovely people liberals are…always so generous with other people’s money. Why can’t there be offsetting cuts? No one has bothered to answer that.
This is what happens when you run out of money. This is why it is important to not spend more than what you have. One day you are going to need it.
Laurie
August 26th, 2011
7:13 am
Thank God this hurrican is headed toward the Eastern coast instead of the South. We all know that whole “no federal aid” thing would stand firm if the hurricane hit where Katrina or Rita did. Let’s see how long they hold out now that the storm is closer to DC. A few weeks without power and those birds will be singing a different tune.
Julia Adair
August 26th, 2011
7:35 am
the callous indifference towards those who are suffering, and in need, astounds me on SO MANY levels. is this what God intended for us? somehow I think not.
tireofit
August 26th, 2011
7:49 am
How many republicans will refuse aid if needed?
Dunwoodian
August 26th, 2011
8:07 am
There are only Jews, Liberal Elites, Coloreds, or worst of all Catholics in the Northeast, so let them all starve! Once they are gone we can turn those states to Red.
Dan
August 26th, 2011
8:13 am
Julia it astounds me as well, the fact that people won’t cut useless pork fat programs in order to help those who have a true emergency is shameless
NO?
August 26th, 2011
8:32 am
What’s stopping them? No jobs and no affordable housing
In this market? It is a buyer’s market filled with low-hanging fruit. Opportunity knocks while dumbazzes sleep.
shirley
August 26th, 2011
8:33 am
Jay, thanks for this column and your responses. I agree with Doggone/GA. Whether there are offsets to emergency funding in the federal budget really isn’t the issue in the midst of the storm. Those talking theory whether elected, candidates or otherwise miss the point. All levels of government contribute when there is effective preparation and response to the a dangerous storm, tornado or hurricane and the clean up. Finger pointing and theorizing doesn’t get the job done to protect lives and to maintain public services. Does anyone remember the sheets of ice on Peachtree Street five days after the snow storm or the impact a “frozen” city had on business and working people?
Bud Wiser
August 26th, 2011
8:41 am
So typical of the resident media stooge to go ahead and assert that Republicans want to essentially kill, or deprive of aid, potential hurricane storm victims.
This sounds eerily similar to their slobbering accusations of them also wanting to kill the elderly, the poor, the helpless, through reductions in Medicare coverages.
What the stooge fails to mention however is that in FACT it is Obamacare that has called for a $500 billion (with a B) reduction in Medicare, making them the real party of death panels and throwing the helpless under the collective bus.
GT
August 26th, 2011
8:48 am
The storm in New Orleans was the lowest point of the Bush administration. Rudy Giuliani made Bush look good in the 7/11 aftermath. He got out into the streets and Bush followed his lead. Bush eventually used up all the currency he gained that day. One final chance to unite this country, instead Bush spent money to stoke our fears, appointed people with the same poor communication skills he had and then New Orleans was the cherry on top. After telling the nation how mighty we were, the Lord Himself begged to differ.
This will be a high point in the Obama administration. They run things very smooth; his campaign was one of the best run campaigns I have ever seen. His spokespeople already seem far more skilled that those of Bush. His preparation is already there, he is out front of the situation not a deer in the headlights. And Obama has done it with far less money, with many times more population involved. Republicans will try to wreak it. They hope it is a real disaster. The American public this weekend will see the real difference between the two parties.
Obama is over
August 26th, 2011
8:48 am
This is the most absurd slanted desperate piece you have ever written. In the abscence of any positive news coming from the Democratic front you decide to take advantage of innocent people in harms way to write a cowardly column asserting blame for a potential natural disaster on a political party. Shame on you. I am more interested in the safety and welfare of American citizens than taking credit for who pays for the clean up effort- before anything has happened. Your article today captures the gist of the problem with Obama and the Democratic party today. You people are more concerned about maintaining the statue quo and reelecting Obama than you are about the welfare of American citizens. In the worst economic environment of a generation, the Obama adminstration and the Pelosi/Reid/Union Democratic party is intellectually bankrupt. Your column today proves that they are morally bankrupt as well. I hope and pray for the people in Irene’s path and that Obama does less damage than the storm in his remaining days in office.
Adam
August 26th, 2011
8:54 am
Dusty: Your crybaby whine is out of line with what really happened. Has there ever been a catastrophe that those affected thought they did not get enough help? I don’t think so
What nonsense. “People ALWAYS want more help” is a justification for what, exactly? NOT helping them when the help that was provided was either non-existent, woefully inadequate, too late by MILES (definitely could have been handled sooner AND better if it was run by people who actually knew what they were doing), OR you lay all the blame for no help on the state and local level in order to avoid the federal government taking responsibility for their part. Even Cantor said government has a role to play, and he’s a money-uptight jack@ss.
midtownguy
August 26th, 2011
9:04 am
It is situations like this that put the fiscal conservatives values on the line. Significant federal expenditures on disaster relief were the result of Hurricane Andrew in South FLorida. Some credit the weak response by the federal government led by Bush I to Bill Clinton’s subsequent victory in Florida. After that, the federal financial role in disaster recovery was greatly expanded. It is one prime example of the “growth of big government” that the fiscal conservatives bemoan.
So, once the emergency immediate relief is over (no one is going to limit the role of the National Guard regarding safety concerns or emergency food the first few days after landfall). When it comes time to pay the bills for clean up, ongoing repair to infrastructure, business recovery, help with individual home repair or ongoing food needs. Are “we” going to provide it? Or are the States and individuals on their own?
Adam
August 26th, 2011
9:12 am
Page 1:
No mention of Obama or Bush
Page 2:
Anti-Obama posts = 5
Individual anti-Obama posters = 3
Anti-Bush posts = 2
Individual anti-Bush posters = 1
Fake posts meant to skew the results = 0
Page 3:
Anti-Obama posts = 1
Individual anti-Obama posters = 1
Anti-Bush posts = 1
Individual anti-Bush posters = 1
Fake posts meant to skew the results = 0
Page 4:
Anti-Obama posts = 1
Individual anti-Obama posters = 1
Anti-Bush posts = 1
Individual anti-Bush posters = 1
Fake posts meant to skew the results = 0
Page 5:
Anti-Obama posts = 2
Individual anti-Obama posters = 2
Anti-Bush posts = 2
Individual anti-Bush posters = 2
Fake posts meant to skew the results = 0
Page 6:
Anti-Obama posts = 5 (almost missed kayaker’s “bozo”)
Individual anti-Obama posters = 5
Anti-Bush posts = 0
Individual anti-Bush posters = 0
Fake posts meant to skew the results = 3 (hurricane machine, nice…. Not counting godless heathen’s post or scout’s jab at the first lady)
Page 7 (so far):
Anti-Obama posts = 2
Individual anti-Obama posters = 2
Anti-Bush posts = 1
Individual anti-Bush posters = 1
Fake posts meant to skew the results = 1 (references to Obamacare not counted)
Totals:
Anti-Obama posts = 13
Individual anti-Obama posters = 10
Anti-Bush posts = 7
Individual anti-Bush posters = 5
Fake posts meant to skew the results = 1
Interestingly, I HAVE noticed that any criticisms of Bush are way more tame than Obama criticisms so far.
Adam
August 26th, 2011
9:13 am
Sorry, total for posts that skew the results is 3, not 1
Adam
August 26th, 2011
9:13 am
Agh darnit, total for posts that skew the results is FOUR, not ONE. Stupid number keys.
philosopher
August 26th, 2011
9:14 am
Dam straight! If you don’t have the money to pay for something, then you just don’t get it! No aid to the injured, no healthcare to those who can’t afford it…even if it’s your mother, your daughter, whoever! Me and my tea bagger friends are gonna sit back and watch while homes are destroyed, and folks die from injuries and not one blasted nickel of my hard-earned tax money better go to a single one of you- because we owe China money and have borrowed more to pay the interest on it…if you didn’t plan and save for this disastrous hurrican (which you really SHOULD have expected, you know), then you are just SOL.. make sense to me…
Richard
August 26th, 2011
9:22 am
Pardon my ignorance on the matter of disasters, because I have never experienced anything worse than a mild tornado. But why do we need disater relief? If you don’t leave and get trapped in the city (i.e. Katrina) isn’t that kind of your fault? I mean, it’s not like this hurricane just appeared. And if you leave and your crap get destoryed, isn’t that why you have homeowner/renter’s insurance? If you don’t have that, isn’t that kind of your fault too? Again, never been in those people’s shoes, but I feel like I would be more than capable of taking care of myself in that situation. Other that rescues and medical assisstance, which I see the need for, I just don’t see the need to provide people with things such as FEMA trailers to live in. People should learn to take care of themselves.
GT
August 26th, 2011
9:26 am
Philosopher what gets me is Bush had an open checking account and he blew New Orleans. No one was in his way but his own people. Billions wasted in the Chinese water drill. The talk caught up with the walk, reality, in New Orleans. The Iraq war was the same bowl of fish. Bush was like the next door neighbor who came to your house to fix something and left five more things screwed up while he tries to fix the one problem. Bill Cosby with a tool belt.
Richard
August 26th, 2011
9:27 am
Wow. Just skimming the comments. Brosephus, the federal government is supposed to be a representation of the people, but it’s not. It’s more like a caricature, and that’s the whole problem with our country right now. Politicians that give lip service to representing the people, but then vote on partisan lines. I’ll be damned if the federal government represents my interests.
Steve
August 26th, 2011
9:36 am
Jay…you are such a drama queen. It’s all going to be OK.
When I lived in the Northeast…through several hurricanes…we never worried about federal aid….the storm came and went…we cleaned up…life went on.
philosopher
August 26th, 2011
9:37 am
GT , I was being ridiculously facetious…It’s always easy to say we shouldn’t spend what we don’t have…until it affects your own life…and then we scream bloody murder for help (of course). Tea Baggers don’t even “get” that they talk out of both sides of their mouths…or else they are serious sociopaths, willing to let folks suffer and die so they can have a few more bucks in the wallet.
Gordon
August 26th, 2011
9:40 am
Adam @9:12,
You have too much time on your hands.
Adam
August 26th, 2011
9:43 am
Gordon: I know. I should probably save time by making blanket statements that have no factual basis such as “the posters on here post more bashing Bush than they do bashing Obama”
James
August 26th, 2011
9:53 am
I agree with the position that Congress does not have the authority under the constitution to provide emergency assistance just like they refused to do the first 100 years of this republic. You also can’t say politicians talk until the emergency is local. Ron Paul voted against emergency relief in his own district after Galveston was hit by a hurricane a few years back.
GT
August 26th, 2011
9:55 am
Richard I would make the same argument about Home Land Security. Biggest boondoggle in the history of this country. It gave us all the impression we were totally ready for any disaster and the first one out of the shoot was a horror movie on steroids. It is a little bit like these wars we fight. Billions of dollars later and thousands of lives, and what do we have to show for it but a false sense of accomplishment. This thing in Libya will cost us one billion dollars total with better results than Iraq that cost us one billion dollars a day. You say the federal government does not represent you but if you are rich try living without its protection. Your house will look like Gaddafi’s home looks today, in five minutes. Any success you have in this country is because of this country and its government protecting you. You interest are far more represented that the poor. New Orleans showed that fact.
midtownguy
August 26th, 2011
9:56 am
Richard, that is it in a nutshell. Does the federal government have, or need to have, any role in disaster recovery other than immediate safety, medical or hot food needs (emergency feeding sites)
Should the federal government pull out after about a week and those who were unprepared suffer the consequences? Or is it another type of social program where the federal government assumes a role to aid individuals and communities?
I can guarantee you this, the affected states, even those with hard right tea-party-governor’s will be begging Obama for Presidential Disaster Declarations (what triggers the federal money).
Richard
August 26th, 2011
10:02 am
GT: I won’t argue that the federal government protects my success. In fact, that IS one of the few things the federal government should do (i.e. life, liberty, and pursuit of happiness). However, when I say that the federal government does not represent my interest, it is all these silly boondoogles that they waste billions and trillions on that I am referring to. I believe that the Gov’t does an adequate job at its essential tasks of protecting my freedom. And I am happy to pay my taxes to receive that protection. It’s everything else that they blow money on that I object to.
Richard
August 26th, 2011
10:05 am
midtownguy: I personally believe in what you suggested. Pull out after a week. If you’re not able to get back on your feet (and I don’t mean have everything back to normal, just be able to survive) after a week, you’re probably not trying. I think that this would limit gov’t spending on disater relief to a sum that nobody would object to, and this discussion would not be happening.
Steve - B.
August 26th, 2011
10:09 am
I have vacationed on the the Outer Banks a dozen times and lived in the coast of Florida for 20 years. How many times does the Federal Government have to bail out those areas that have repeated storms?
Steve - B.
August 26th, 2011
10:15 am
The most important thing is that I hope everyone listens to the warning and gets to a safe place.
GT
August 26th, 2011
10:19 am
midtownguy is right. What Bush allowed is a sense we had these problems covered. He put it under an umbrella of national defense, his “specialty”. He even sent a military type to clean the streets of New Orleans; guy looked like Patton chomping on that cigar. It was all theater with those guys. The real world doesn’t work that way. It starts with communication. Reagan was a great communicator, drew the nation his direction because he sounded like one of us. How you communicate in a disaster or crisis will determine a lot. Making people go to war because you made stuff up or feeling secure when we were not, by spending lots of money at the end of the day makes your subconscious thinking say something is out of control with these people. We are not safe with them in control. They are pointing to others as the problem when time and time again it is them that are the problem and what we should be afraid of. At best they are very disorganized, details are not their forte, in times of crisis this is not a good thing. I could run a country on the money they mismanage, we all could.
Adam
August 26th, 2011
10:21 am
midtownguy, Richard: Setting a hard deadline doesn’t account for the AMOUNT of devastation. You should be shooting for a baseline of help if you’re going to set a limit. But a hard time limit… well let’s just say if you did that New Orleans would have gotten ZERO assistance because FEMA was barely there, if at all, that first week.
midtownguy
August 26th, 2011
10:22 am
What is the probability that the Republican governors in the some likely affected states (Connecticut, New Jersey, South Carolina, Virginia) won’t write the President asking for a Presidential Disaster Declaration and the associated federal financial aid? The president, and the federal government, cannot provide the aid unless specifically requested by the governor. It cannot be forced on the state.
Let’s just see how worried these Republican governors are about the debt ceiling and the “bloated” federal government.
redneckbluedog
August 26th, 2011
10:22 am
John Boehner – “If we can cut the JOB CREATING hurricanes’ taxes, then MAYBE it won’t hit us….”
Dick Cheney – “We need to torture and bomb the hurricane…”
Rick Parry – “Down in Texas, when we have hurricanes, we pray them away….and then we ask the federal government for money when they hit….”
Steve - B.
August 26th, 2011
10:28 am
midtownguy – About the same as the “let’s raise taxes” crowd not taking their deductions on their tax form.
Bill King
August 26th, 2011
10:34 am
And why is this not the Top Story on ever Media outlet Radio-TV-Internet ?
philosopher
August 26th, 2011
10:42 am
redneckbluedog- had to chuckle at that- clever.
GT
August 26th, 2011
10:46 am
The Virginia governor was on the Piers Morgan show last night. He is already working the country; he knows he will have to ask for help. Morgan asked an off the subject question of what the governor’s thoughts were about the damage in NY City. “My problem is not NY it is my state” was his answer. With the Republicans money is spent when they present a deal that has absolute no options, we have to spend this money or we die. I know we said no spending but that was for those people, this is about us, and we are going to die. Usually they mismanage the money so poorly more people die after the money is spent than would have in the first place. I am telling you watch how better this disaster is managed than ones in the previous administration. It will be done smoother and cheaper with less lost lives.
Joe Mama
August 26th, 2011
10:52 am
F. Sinkiwicz — “So the FDA and the USDA are law enforcement agencies, Joe? They can arrest you? Who knew?”
Didn’t say they were. But your local cops don’t have the ability to test your burger for E. Coli, and I’m pretty sure the Georgia State Patrol has better things to do than test every burger around the state.
Don’t be a nitwit and put words in my mouth. FDA and USDA have inspection powers and authority. When they find something wrong, THEN the authorities get called in.
Adam
August 26th, 2011
10:58 am
Steve – B.: About the same as the “let’s raise taxes” crowd not taking their deductions on their tax form.
Yeah! That Warren Buffet… what a socialist!
Adam
August 26th, 2011
10:59 am
Joe Mama: But your local cops don’t have the ability to test your burger for E. Coli, and I’m pretty sure the Georgia State Patrol has better things to do than test every burger around the state.
Not to mention you need a high level degree to test the meat.
DBCOOPER
August 26th, 2011
2:23 pm
Hey George Bush caused this Hurricane .He certainly caused Katrina. AND he blew up the Levee’s. AND it was a conspiracy against Black Folks.
Now if we don’t have the money because “The Messiah” borrowed atrillion frigging dollars from China we can never pay back. (AND OBTW It did nothing) Then run-up another couple a trillion in debt.
We have no money. It has to be George Bush. And those mean Republicans that don’t want to borrow another two, tree trillion!
They must be rich! AND drive around in coroperate jets.
Joe Mama
August 26th, 2011
2:41 pm
Rhymes with “spithead.”
The Worst Unnatural Disaster Ever To Face Our Country | Social Security Potluck
August 28th, 2011
9:23 am
[...] following comes from a blog by Jan Bookman, who posts at the Atlanta Journal Constitution, With Major Hurricane Looming Federal Aid In Question. Mr Bookman writes: Eric Cantor (R-VA), a national disaster House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, for [...]