# I pit the 67 Republicans who voted against Hurricane Sandy relief **URL:** \ **Category:** The BBQ Pit\ **Created:** [January 6, 2013, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-67-republicans-who-voted-against-hurricane-sandy-relief/646266 "2013-01-06T17:20:38Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 5:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-67-republicans-who-voted-against-hurricane-sandy-relief/646266/1 "2013-01-06T17:20:38Z")
In an effort to better characterize themselves as comic book villains, 67 House Republicans voted against a bill that would pay out flood insurance claims to victims of Hurricane Sandy. The claimants had purchased insurance through the National Flood Insurance Program, so the government was obligated to pay these claims once it had the money for them. This vote was only for the $9 billion to pay the insurance claims. The scumbags who voted against this included representatives from Florida, Mississippi, and other states who have been ravaged by hurricanes and subsequently asked for federal money and aid. A perfect example of “fuck you, I got mine”. I have trouble fathoming the mindset that would lead to this. Either they didn’t read the bill, or they automatically vote against any “evil government spending” that doesn’t affect their district. They are either lazy and careless, lack basic empathy, or attempting to sacrifice people’s livelihoods to make political points. > **[GOP Congressmen Who Begged For Federal Aid In Disasters Striking Home...](https://www.forbes.com/sites/rickungar/2013/01/04/gop-congressmen-who-begged-for-federal-aid-in-disasters-striking-home-districts-vote-against-sandy-aid/)** > > The first piece of the aid bill to assist victims of Super Storm Sandy passed the House of Representatives today, providing $9.7 billion to fund the National Flood Insurance Program so that claims made by victims who purchased flood insurance from... > **[Remember the 67 Republicans in House of Representatives who turned their...](https://www.nydailynews.com/news/national/2-faced-zealots-congress-kick-sandy-victims-gut-article-1.1233607)** > > There are 67 Republicans from the House of Representatives who voted against the first round of federal money And here’s a handy list of those representatives for your ire: [spoiler]Mo Brooks, AL 5th Tom Cotton, AR 4th Paul Gosar, AZ 4th Matt Salmon, AZ 5th David Schweitzert, AZ 6th Trent Franks, AZ 8th Tom McClintock, CA 4th Ed Royce, CA 39th Doug Lamborn, CO 5th Ted Yoho, FL 3rd Ron Desantis, FL 6th Tom Price, GA 6th Rob Woodall, GA 7th Dough Collins, GA 9th Paul Broun, GA 10th Tom Graves, GA 14th Randy Hultgren, IL 14th Marlin Stutzmen, IN 3rd Todd Rokita, IN 4th Tim Huelskam, KA 1st Lynn Jenkins, KA 2nd Kevin Yoder, KA 3rd Mike Pompeo, KA 4th \ Thomas Massie, KY 4th Andy Barr, KY 6th John Fleming, LA 4th Andy Harris, MA 1st Dan Benishek, MI 1st Justin Amash, MI 3rd Kerry Bentivolio, MI 11th Sam Graves, MO 6th Steven Palazzo, MS 4th Steve Danes, MT Virginia Foxx, NC 5th Richard Hudson, NC 8th Mark Meadows, NC 11th George Holding, NC 13th Steve Pearce, NM 2nd Steve Chabot, OH 1st Brad Wenstrup, OH 2nd Jim Jordan, OH 4th Jim Bridenstine, OK 1st Markwayne Mullin, OK 2nd Scott Perry, PA 4th Keith Rothfus, PA 12th Joe Wilson, SC 2nd Jeff Duncan, SC 3rd Trey Gowdy, SC 4th Mick Mulvaney, SC 5th Phil Roe, TN 1st John Duncan, TN 2nd Scott DesJarlais, TN 4th Marsha Blackburn, TN 7th Stephen Flincher, TN 8th Louis Gohmert, TX 1st Michael Conaway, TX 11th Mac Thornberry, TX 13th Randy Weber, TX 14th Bill Flores, TX 17th Randy Neugebauer, TX 19th Kenny Marchant, TX 24th Roger Williams, TX 25th Bob Goodlatte, VA 6th Paul Ryan, WI 1st James Sensenbrenner, WI 5th Tom Petri, WI 6th Sean Duffy, WI 7th [source](http://www.govtrack.us/congress/votes/113-2013/h7) [/spoiler] ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 5:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-67-republicans-who-voted-against-hurricane-sandy-relief/646266/2 "2013-01-06T17:45:38Z")
I haven’t paid attention, but I guess the question is, was this bill just Sandy relief, or was it a Christmas tree with gifts showered on all sorts of non-Sandy recipients? If the first, then I share your disgust. If the second, then I think they may have a point. ---
**Author:** ![Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/b38774/32.png) [@Swords\_to\_Plowshares](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Swords_to_Plowshares)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 5:54pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-67-republicans-who-voted-against-hurricane-sandy-relief/646266/3 "2013-01-06T17:54:30Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > I haven’t paid attention, but I guess the question is, was this bill just Sandy relief, or was it a Christmas tree with gifts showered on all sorts of non-Sandy recipients? If the first, then I share your disgust. If the second, then I think they may have a point. This was a vote to add on the $9 billion for flood insurance claims to a larger spending bill. ---
**Author:** ![septimus](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/septimus/32/410_2.png) [@septimus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/septimus)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 6:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-67-republicans-who-voted-against-hurricane-sandy-relief/646266/4 "2013-01-06T18:14:52Z")
[QUOTE=House Budget Committee Chairman Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.)] [it would be] “irresponsible to raise an insolvent program’s debt ceiling without making the necessary reforms.” [/QUOTE] Other threads mention the dangers of comparing government and household budgets, but there should be no problem since we simplify down to Ryan’s intellectual level, so here’s my analogy: It would be as if Ryan refused to pay his bar tab because it was “irresponsible” to waste his whiskey budget the evening before. ---
**Author:** ![Chefguy](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chefguy/32/138_2.png) [@Chefguy](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chefguy)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 6:19pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-67-republicans-who-voted-against-hurricane-sandy-relief/646266/5 "2013-01-06T18:19:51Z")
I await breathlessly for Christie’s response to these knuckleheads. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-67-republicans-who-voted-against-hurricane-sandy-relief/646266/6 "2013-01-06T18:33:14Z")
> [@Chefguy](#): > > I await breathlessly for Christie’s response to these knuckleheads. It’s been a long time since there was a Republican whose name made me grin. ---
**Author:** ![panaccione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@panaccione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panaccione)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 6:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-67-republicans-who-voted-against-hurricane-sandy-relief/646266/7 "2013-01-06T18:39:40Z")
Honestly, how does a conservative defend themselves against this? If they actually had the intention of stopping this then that means they’re ok with americans dying. If they’re just putting up a front it’s just goddamn stupid. I can’t think of a reasonable explanation. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 6:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-67-republicans-who-voted-against-hurricane-sandy-relief/646266/8 "2013-01-06T18:41:55Z")
> [@Scotty Mo](#): > > I can’t think of a reasonable explanation. See, there’s your problem. You have to think unreasonable. ---
**Author:** ![Saint\_Cad](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/saint_cad/32/18907_2.png) [@Saint\_Cad](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Saint_Cad)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 6:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-67-republicans-who-voted-against-hurricane-sandy-relief/646266/9 "2013-01-06T18:45:51Z")
> [@Scotty Mo](#): > > Honestly, how does a conservative defend themselves against this? > > If they actually had the intention of stopping this then that means they’re ok with americans dying. > > If they’re just putting up a front it’s just goddamn stupid. > > I can’t think of a reasonable explanation. Why drag ALL conservatives into this. Just limit it to the 67. ---
**Author:** ![Amateur\_Barbarian](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/59ef9b/32.png) [@Amateur\_Barbarian](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Amateur_Barbarian)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 7:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-67-republicans-who-voted-against-hurricane-sandy-relief/646266/10 "2013-01-06T19:33:44Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Why drag ALL conservatives into this. Just limit it to the 67. IIRC, they were all against the first bills and the others had to be arm-twisted into voting for it. So, yeah, I can live with “all conservatives on the Hill.” ---
**Author:** ![panaccione](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/94ad74/32.png) [@panaccione](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/panaccione)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 7:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-67-republicans-who-voted-against-hurricane-sandy-relief/646266/11 "2013-01-06T19:44:20Z")
> [@Saint\_Cad](#): > > Why drag ALL conservatives into this. Just limit it to the 67. Because those are their leaders. They voted for them. If it wasn’t such an ongoing problem it probably wouldn’t be a big deal. In fact, it would be a big deal if they actually did the decent thing for once. But they don’t. They never do. Standard protocol. The worst thing is, the people who voted for them, are fucking clueless. So it’s necessary to be over-the-top and point out how fucking stupid these people are. ---
**Author:** ![Myrnalene](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/c4cdca/32.png) [@Myrnalene](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Myrnalene)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 9:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-67-republicans-who-voted-against-hurricane-sandy-relief/646266/12 "2013-01-06T21:25:37Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > I haven’t paid attention, but I guess the question is, was this bill just Sandy relief, or was it a Christmas tree with gifts showered on all sorts of non-Sandy recipients? If the first, then I share your disgust. If the second, then I think they may have a point. Wow, I can get not following the news on this - but you didn’t even bother to read the first two paragraphs of the OP. Impressive. ---
**Author:** ![Euphonious\_Polemic](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/euphonious_polemic/32/3002_2.png) [@Euphonious\_Polemic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Euphonious_Polemic)\ **Post date:** [January 6, 2013, 11:32pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-67-republicans-who-voted-against-hurricane-sandy-relief/646266/13 "2013-01-06T23:32:19Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > I haven’t paid attention, but I guess the question is… I think we now have the explanation for what these 67 Republicans were thinking when they voted. ---
**Author:** ![BrotherCadfael](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/977dab/32.png) [@BrotherCadfael](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BrotherCadfael)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 12:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-67-republicans-who-voted-against-hurricane-sandy-relief/646266/14 "2013-01-07T00:00:49Z")
> [@Myrnalene](#): > > Wow, I can get not following the news on this - but you didn’t even bother to read the first two paragraphs of the OP. Impressive. The bill described by the OP is not inherently immune to Christmas-treeing. Indeed, a must-pass bill is often an excellent vehicle for such, precisely because it is a must-pass. ---
**Author:** ![MsWhatsit](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/eb8c5e/32.png) [@MsWhatsit](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/MsWhatsit)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 12:58am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-67-republicans-who-voted-against-hurricane-sandy-relief/646266/15 "2013-01-07T00:58:07Z")
From TMFOP: > [@](#): > > This vote was only for the $9 billion to pay the insurance claims. ---
**Author:** ![John\_Mace](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/john_mace/32/185_2.png) [@John\_Mace](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/John_Mace)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 1:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-67-republicans-who-voted-against-hurricane-sandy-relief/646266/16 "2013-01-07T01:49:47Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > The bill described by the OP is not inherently immune to Christmas-treeing. Indeed, a must-pass bill is often an excellent vehicle for such, precisely because it is a must-pass. Can you cite any parts of the bill that do this? ---
**Author:** ![JRDelirious](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/jrdelirious/32/9531_2.png) [@JRDelirious](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/JRDelirious)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 2:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-67-republicans-who-voted-against-hurricane-sandy-relief/646266/17 "2013-01-07T02:05:12Z")
> [@BrotherCadfael](#): > > The bill described by the OP is not inherently immune to Christmas-treeing. Indeed, a must-pass bill is often an excellent vehicle for such, precisely because it is a must-pass. The Christmas-treeing \*was \*done to that other big $60-billion bill whose back-burnering made Chris Christie issue a verbal bitchslap of Boehner & Co. over New Year’s Eve. This one AFAWK was merely about paying up the 2-month-old flood insurance claims. ---
**Author:** ![Voyager](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/voyager/32/133_2.png) [@Voyager](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Voyager)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 2:49am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-67-republicans-who-voted-against-hurricane-sandy-relief/646266/18 "2013-01-07T02:49:25Z")
> [@JRDelirious](#): > > The Christmas-treeing \*was \*done to that other big $60-billion bill whose back-burnering made Chris Christie issue a verbal bitchslap of Boehner & Co. over New Year’s Eve. This one AFAWK was merely about paying up the 2-month-old flood insurance claims. Probably the same set against raising the debt ceiling in order to pay the government’s bills. I have a proposal - sell the debt to the Mafia, and then have some enforcers pay these clowns a visit to give them a message about living up to their obligations. ---
**Author:** ![Clothahump](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/51bf81/32.png) [@Clothahump](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Clothahump)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 3:00am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-67-republicans-who-voted-against-hurricane-sandy-relief/646266/19 "2013-01-07T03:00:50Z")
It’s nice to get all outraged and shit, but in the long run, the Republicans did the right thing. **HR 41 A bill to temporarily increase the borrowing authority of the Federal Emergency Management Agency for carrying out the National Flood Insurance Program.** Note the term “increase the borrowing authority”. We as a nation cannot afford to take on any more debt, no matter how noble the cause may be. ---
**Author:** ![running\_coach](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/running_coach/32/15836_2.png) [@running\_coach](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/running_coach)\ **Post date:** [January 7, 2013, 3:05am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-67-republicans-who-voted-against-hurricane-sandy-relief/646266/20 "2013-01-07T03:05:39Z")
> [@Clothahump](#): > > It’s nice to get all outraged and shit, but in the long run, the Republicans did the right thing. > > **HR 41 > A bill to temporarily increase the borrowing authority of the Federal Emergency Management Agency for carrying out the National Flood Insurance Program.** > > Note the term “increase the borrowing authority”. We as a nation cannot afford to take on any more debt, no matter how noble the cause may be. So the people pay their premiums and get fucked over, not by the usual insurance companies but by their own government. How very corporate. How very Republican. How revolting. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/i-pit-the-67-republicans-who-voted-against-hurricane-sandy-relief/646266.md?page=2)