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AP
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) tours earthquake damage with Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell (R) in Mineral, VA.
“House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said Wednesday that he intends to look for offsets if federal aid is needed to help areas of his Virginia district that were damaged in an earthquake Tuesday,” Roll Call writes. But he said thinks any aid should be offset by spending cuts elsewhere.
And Cantor said this: “All of us know that the federal government is busy spending money it doesn’t have,” Cantor said in Culpeper, where the quake damaged some buildings along a busy shopping thoroughfare.
(In the immediate aftermath of an emergency is this the kind of thing people want to hear?)
“House Republican lawmakers worry the sputtering economy will be a problem not only for President Obama but could sweep them out of office next year as well,” The Hill writes.
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) and Rep. Jeb Hensarling (R-TX), the co-chairs of the newly formed "supercommittee" on deficit reduction, issued their first joint statement yesterday afternoon, NBC’s Libby Leist reports. Murray and Hensarling have been working together through the Congressional recess to stand up the committee basically from scratch. They're working on rules that will govern the committee, staffing decisions and meeting schedules, the statement says. In addition, the 12 committee members have their homework of reading through past deficit reduction proposals. One Republican aide tells NBC members are looking at the Bowles-Simpson commission report, the Domenici-Rivlin plan, the so-called "Biden talks" and the Gang of six work among others. A Democratic aide says that previous commission work will play "a significant role and will inform thinking heavily" as the members get started.
Former Sen. Bill Frist predicted that the health-care law would not be repealed. "It's going to survive. It's not going to be repealed,” he told the Sioux Falls Argus Leader, per Political Wire.
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Cantor wants offsets for federal aid?
1. Good luck with your reelection campaign. I doubt your constituents will forget this.
2. The offsets should come from your own earmarks. Take the money from funds destined to your district if you want it redirected to emergency relief.
3. Empathy? EMPATHY? That's a joke, right?
Something is seriously wrong with that man.. Sure they will forget it most of them are rich. What's a few cracks in the mansion or vacation home?
It took enough gall for the GOP to say this when Joplin was leveled by a tornado, but now Cantor is holding his own state's recovery hostage for spending cuts?!
He never ceases to amaze me with his level of sheer stupidity and heartlessness.
The unmitigated gall of Cantor to not promise money that the Government does not have and must borrow to provide emergency relief to his area... Really? Seems like he is holding his constituents to the same standard as the Republicans are trying to hold all districts to in trying to overcome this deficit that will bury our grandkids in national debt. But all you can think of is that Government must be the one to resolve any disaster. By the way, Cantor has no earmarks this year!... That is a historic Democratic ploy used to buy votes... The Republican House eliminated that practice. All funding needs have to compete in the light of day for the Government's money instead of the old Pelosi rule "" Need a vote.. buy it with earmarks which would not even be considered as national priorities." What was it Kennedy said, " Ask not what your countrycan do for you... ask what you can do for your country!" My, the Democrats have changed their tune since then. They now live by "You can do nothing by yourself and the Government knows better what is good for you, so vote Democratic." If the democrats had their way, there would be no incentive to work or produce anything in the country... let our countrymen turn into just a bunch of drones waiting for the next Government handout!
Fed up:
I checked; you're correct. Cantor has not requested earmarks this year.
That said, in the spirit of "empathy" that he is showing all US citizens, he should just forget requesting an emergency aid "earmark" for his citizens. It would violate his commitment to end earmarks.
Now that would REALLY be consistent with his earmark position and with his "empathy" deficit.
Fed Up - It's sentiment like yours from the GOP that will sink them next year. It's disasters such as earthquakes and hurricanes where the Federal Government should step in and help states afflicted. This bassakwards approach that TPer's like you have tried to force feed the American people is going to be the end of you. Just like the The Know Nothing Party of the 1800's.....The Tea Party and their scorched earth policies will be just a blip in history.
Cantor and Boehner requested $485 million for an alternative engine the Air Force emphatically did not want or need...but which they voted to keep just because it was made in their districts. Republican hypocrisy at its best.
http://articles.cnn.com/2010-06-04/opinion/avlon.budget.hypocrisy_1_earmark-alternate-engine-voted?_s=PM:OPINION
While Mr. Cantor & Mr. Boehner did not use "earmarks" to attempt to bring home the pork, they are just as wasteful as any other politicians.
I assume Mr. Cantor is in favor of eliminating the federal hurricane insurance program. If people live in areas which get hit by hurricanes, they take the risk that their buildings will be destroyed. The government should not encourage people to build in areas where they are VERY likely to be wiped out. I know it sounds cruel, but to keep encouraging bad behavior is not a sound fiscal policy. If Mr. Cantor wants to start cuts, that is one program that should be privatized.
dirp101 -- Agreed, and also the spending cuts included cuts in FEMA, nuclear power plant safety, meteorology warning systems, etc. And yet these Republican dimwits will demand these very services, and will complain if proper preventative measures are lacking.
Not to mention cuts to the EPA, FEC, Dept. of Education, Medicare, Medicaid, Social Security... anything and everything except Defense contractors. Must be because Mr. Cantor has those in his district.
Mr. Cantor is a pathetic excuse for a politician, and thats saying a lot.
Wow. Eric Cantor is a fine example of the callousness inherent in the new Republican Party. He should be ashamed of himself.
8 months of studying the debt plans and Congress says they need more time to review the various plans?
Why have members of Congress spent so much time on Fox News telling us what is wrong with the plans when they now admit they don't know what is in the plans?
The sweetest sentence I have read in months..."House Republicans worry ... the sputtering economy could sweep them out of office."
Eric Cantor is the biggest piece of crap to come out of Va. that I can remember. He and John Boner are due to be voted out of office soon. The Ohio people are starting to wake up to the fact that GOP is ruining their state.
It is not the economy so much that will sink the GOP/TP as much as it has been them showing their inability to do their job and unwillingness to help to run the country and aid in the recovery of the economy and jobs. It is their NO position that will be their downfall...
Cantor and the GOP/TP should think twice about approving an extension of unemployment benefits; I think they're going to need it.
Not only will the Tea people GOP get unemployment benefits, they'll also get their government retirement, health-care paid for and all the other perks from us tax payers, when their put out to pasture in 2012. Plus they'll all get a cushy job from lobby groups.
Obama's insane spending binge is destroying our economy, much worse than a mere earthquake.
If Eric Cantor said there should be aid for his district, without offsetting spending elsewhere, the moonbats would be bleating "hypocrite" and "big spender'.
Cantor is quite correct in suggesting that with federal spending totally out of control in Washington due to Obama'a insane boondoggles, any new spending must be offset.
Even those who suffer from Mother Nature understand that.
"Let's just scrap FEMA now - who needs help, lift yourself up and rebuild your own house after a flood or quake - who told you to live there in the first place?" - How do you like my Eric Cantor impression? Or any teabagger comment for that matter.
Bob, "A mere Earthquake?" like it's one thing at a time, earthquakes, hurricanes, tornado, floods, wildfires... I think since our economy is 2/3 driven by consumers, the idea of helping rebuild a community is to get it back up and running. So you propose that at every natural disaster we just turn our back and let the people affected fin for themselves? I hope you do not live anyplace that has natural disasters, I can't imagine where that would be.
We don't need anymore cuts ...whatelse in there to cut? I guess maybe we can cut federal aid maybe we won't have anymore hurricanes or wild fires etc...
Yes, Bob numbers, Cantor is right...hope the first thing he gets cut is all the welfare and unemployment benefits you receive, as its clear you are a bitter lazy fat a$$ pimpled faced sloth who has nothing to do but spend all day ranting and lying about on his computer while he licks the twinky crums of his fat fingers and guzzles down his tenth slurpy for the day.
I am certain that the good people of Virginia who voted for cantor are happy to have him represent them !!! but if they should need earthquake assistance from the federal government, they'll be sh*t out of luck if cantor has anything to do with it !!! for him it's all about TAX CUTS FOR THE RICH AND SMALL GOVERNMENT !!! SO VIRGINIA IF YOU NEED HELP IT'S YOUR PROBLEM AND YOU CAN TAKE UP CHURCH COLLECTIONS TO REPAIR ROADS, BUILDINGS AND BRIDGES !!!
P.S. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!!!
and by the way, hurricane Irene is on the way !!! SO, GET THOSE CHURCH PLATES READY AND START PASSING THEM AROUND ASAP !!!
Empathy? Where would they get it? Thye could never understand!
The 50 Richest Members of Congress (2011)
http://www.rollcall.com/50richest/the-50-richest-members-of-congress-112th.html
Tell me about it - most politicians could care less, 2/3 of the senate are millionaires, trust me if that quake happened in an industrial complex we'd be bailing out those corporations or finding some obsure tax loop hole to cover their losses. No such thing as corporate welfare right?
If a person is not a multi-millionaire when they enter the Senate, they are when they leave. I wouldn't think it possible, but some politicians actually get wealthier working for the government than they would being in private industry. Great gig if you can get it.
It looks like this storey was a day early. Now they are saying Irene is turning more west toward land. New York will announce if evacuation is order is coming. Maybe the rights may understand, it's not the POTUS spending more money, it's just SH1T happens and you have to deal with it. So now what, New York gets slammed and we just watch it deteriorate to avoid adding to the deficit? We just say, they should not have moved where there are hurricanes?
Maybe it will hit Wall Street and we can just pick up the stocks & bonds floating around afterwards. :)
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jk... hope everywone is safe.
Eric was in Israel delivering $4,300,000,000 to his masters!!!!