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House passes $36.5B disaster relief package

L

lush

Member
The House has passed a $36.5 billion measure that would replenish government disaster aid funds and help the cash-strapped government of Puerto Rico keep functioning in the devastating aftermath of Hurricane Maria.

The bipartisan 353-69 vote sent the measure to the Senate, which plans to take up the bill next week.

The bill combines $18.7 billion for Federal Emergency Management Agency disaster relief with $16 billion to permit the financially troubled federal flood insurance program pay an influx of Harvey-related claims. An additional $577 million would pay for western firefighting efforts.

Almost $5 billion of the funding could be used to help the government of Puerto Rico and its local jurisdictions stay functional as they endure unsustainable cash shortfalls in the aftermath of Maria.
Click to expand...

Source: https://apnews.com/1afef40d13744510...-House-passes-$36.5-billion-disaster-aid-bill

All 69 No votes were from Republicans:

7FsvYB8.jpg
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Source: http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2017/roll566.xml
 
entremet

entremet

Member
These guys are ready to lower the tax bill on millionaires, but voted against helping people in an island that has its biggest natural disaster on record?
 
A

Akuun

Looking for meaning in GAF
Glad to see PR getting some help.

And those republicans can go fuck themselves.
 
N

N7 MRP Weasel

Banned
Is there a website that shows every yay nay vote from current congressmen and senators and all that that we can keep track of and roast them later for?
 
T

TI82

Banned
entremet said:
These guys are ready to lower the tax bill on millionaires, but voted against helping people in an island that has its biggest natural disaster on record?
Click to expand...

I fuckin saw conservatives on Reddit saying how "this is all the government's fault they should have been prepared it was not even that wet of a storm"

MOTHERfucker this was a category 4, the strongest storm in Puerto Rico since 1930 and stronger than Katrina which destroyed New Orleans. The cult of worship for Trump is insane.
 
V

voOsh

Member
lush said:
All 69 No votes were from Republicans:
Click to expand...

Reminder that on July 14, 2017 Congress approved an 18% increase to the FY18 military budget totalling $696b.

But 69 of these dudes don't want to spend $36.5b one time to help Americans rebound from historic, unprecedented weather disasters. Priorities.
 
H

HomerSimpson-Man

Member
Great to hear. Thank goodness.

voOsh said:
Reminder that on July 14, 2017 Congress approved an 18% increase to the FY18 military budget totalling $696b.

But 69 of these dudes don't want to spend $36.5b one time to help Americans rebound from historic, unprecedented weather disasters. Priorities.
Click to expand...

Why save people when you can just shoot people?
 
L

lush

Member
N7 MRP Weasel said:
Is there a website that shows every yay nay vote from current congressmen and senators and all that that we can keep track of and roast them later for?
Click to expand...
congress.gov

voOsh said:
Reminder that on July 14, 2017 Congress approved an 18% increase to the FY18 military budget totalling $696b.

But 69 of these dudes don't want to spend $36.5b one time to help Americans rebound from historic, unprecedented weather disasters. Priorities.
Click to expand...

"Fiscal conservatism" means increasing defense spending and cutting taxes. Same as it ever was.
 
G

GaimeGuy

Volunteer Deputy Campaign Director, Obama for America '16
TI82 said:
I fuckin saw conservatives on Reddit saying how "this is all the government's fault they should have been prepared it was not even that wet of a storm"

MOTHERfucker this was a category 4, the strongest storm in Puerto Rico since 1930 and stronger than Katrina which destroyed New Orleans. The cult of worship for Trump is insane.
Click to expand...
It was a strong cat 4 that hit them directly and knocked out all the power and wind instruments.

3rd strongest hurricane to ever hit a US territory. The fallout dwarfs Katrina.
 
J

jwhit28

Member
Pittenger is such a piece of human garbage. There are people in and around his district that are still waiting to get back in their house after Matthew. Especially in Lumberton where he also has an office.
 
S

Sulik2

Member
Yet again republicans in congress or the senate voted to be mass murders. They have gone so far beyond politics into just straight comic book evil its not even funny.
 
KarneeKarnay

KarneeKarnay

Member
Isn't this just more than half of what PR needs? Estimates put it at 60 billion at least. Some articles think its closer to 90 billion.
 
L

lenovox1

Member
Futureman said:
"Is there anyway I can stop this?" thought going through Trump's head right now.
Click to expand...

This is the bill Trump wanted.

Apharmd said:
How much of the aid to Puerto Rico were loans?
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*And Virgin Islands

All of it.

ETA: By all of it, I mean the $5 billion earmarked to aid Puerto Rico and VI in providing government services.

The cut that FEMA and the flood insurance service use in VI and PR will not have to be paid back by those territories.
 
L

lush

Member
KarneeKarnay said:
Isn't this just more than half of what PR needs? Estimates put it at 60 billion at least. Some articles think its closer to 90 billion.
Click to expand...

This article goes in to more detail, this is more of a stop gap:
In approving (353-69) their second tranche of hurricane aid in less than five weeks, House lawmakers agreed to the largest disaster package since Hurricane Sandy in 2012. But members from both parties describe the latest infusion as a down payment for a much more costly and comprehensive response.

...

Lawmakers from both parties, including the full 38-member Texas delegation, have pressed for funding beyond FEMA aid and debt relief for the flood insurance program. Local lawmakers say they desperately need cash for other rebuilding tools, like the Community Development Block Grant program and the Army Corps of Engineers.

House appropriators have said those programs will likely see boosts in a future aid package, while the current bill is intended for the most urgent, life-saving efforts.

“This is the second step. This is not going to be the last one. We are going to need a lot of more help in the coming months,” Resident Commissioner Jenniffer González-Colón, who represents Puerto Rico, said on the floor. “It will take a lot of resources, a lot of money and a lot of commitment of U.S. citizens like we are.”
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Source: http://www.politico.com/story/2017/10/12/disaster-emergency-funding-hurricane-wildfires-243724
 
T

TI82

Banned
GaimeGuy said:
It was a strong cat 4 that hit them directly and knocked out all the power and wind instruments.

3rd strongest hurricane to ever hit a US territory. The fallout dwarfs Katrina.
Click to expand...

Exactly like I said the miasma of fake news around Trump has made his supporters actually crazy and not believe anything true is real
 
T

the-pi-guy

Member
entremet said:
These guys are ready to lower the tax bill on millionaires, but voted against helping people in an island that has its biggest natural disaster on record?
Click to expand...

"Psh, why would we help people? That's money that can be paid for the rich to probably keep for themselves, but maybe give people jobs. You libruls never give the rich a chance. Plus we'd still have some left over to increase our military funding. Gotta give everyone guns so we can reduce crime."

/s
 
A

AlexFlame116

Member
Some of them have state initials next to their names. What does that mean exactly? Sorry I'm not well read on how House votes work.
 
A

AbsolutBro

Member
Knew before I even looked that the racist piece of shit Andy Harris would be a No vote. Fuck him. Come on 1st District of Maryland, get your shit together and oust that son of a bitch.
 
C

Cuburt

Member
TI82 said:
I fuckin saw conservatives on Reddit saying how "this is all the government's fault they should have been prepared it was not even that wet of a storm"

MOTHERfucker this was a category 4, the strongest storm in Puerto Rico since 1930 and stronger than Katrina which destroyed New Orleans. The cult of worship for Trump is insane.
Click to expand...

Not only that, they were still in recovery mode from being hit by Hurricane Irma not even 2 weeks before. That would be hard, if not logistically impossible, for even the most prepared place to bounce back from that, if it didn't cripple them.
 
L

lenovox1

Member
1.21Gigawatts said:
How about the people themselves? Do many Puerto Ricans have insurance for their houses?
How is all that going to work?
Click to expand...

http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article178346336.html

One of the most eye-opening statistics in the aftermath of Hurricane Maria’s roar through here is that there were just 5,675 federal flood insurance policies on an island with nearly 1.57 million housing units.
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That money is to cover debts incurred anyways, but Puerto Ricans didn't have flood insurance, no.

FEMA's money will be divvied up by themselves.

PR and VI are getting loans to cover government services, as they aren't going to be taking in much revenue with their local economies being halted by a hurricane and everything.
 
1

1.21Gigawatts

Banned
lenovox1 said:
http://www.miamiherald.com/news/nation-world/national/article178346336.html



That money is to cover debts incurred anyways, but Puerto Ricans didn't have flood insurance, no.

FEMA's money will be divvied up by themselves.

PR and VI are getting loans to cover government services, as they aren't going to be taking in much revenue with their local economies being halted by a hurricane and everything.
Click to expand...


Those are some insane challenges PR is facing there.
Challenges where I would expect the Federal govt to come up with a plan of solving them. But the current US govt somehow seems to think is not their problem? I don't really get it.
Do they think PR is able to rebuild on their own? Did they even think about anything?
 
N

Not

Banned
I'm surprised this even passed.

I'd expect all the money ever to go directly to the billionaires in a direct line at this point
 
G

GaimeGuy

Volunteer Deputy Campaign Director, Obama for America '16
I live in MN-2. Just sent the following to my rep:

I see that you voted against providing $36.5B in disaster relief to the hurricane ravaged areas of Texas, Florida, US Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico.

It has been more than three weeks since Hurricane Maria ravaged Puerto Rico. As of yesterday, 89% of Puerto Rico still had no electricity, 47% had no phone service. More than 40% of the island's banks were closed. FEMA isn't even providing enough meals to feed 20% of the population, and less than 45% of the population has access to drinkable water.

As a member of the US House of Representatives, you are only electable by a small geographical region of the nation, but you make decisions that affect the livelihood of every American. We are all your constituents. Not just residents of your district, like myself, but the people of Puerto Rico, as well.

In voting against emergency appropriations, you have condemned 3.4 million of your own constituents to inhumane living conditions. I just want to let you know that you're a pathetic excuse for a human being, and the world will be better off once you've departed from it.
Click to expand...
 
TheContact

TheContact

Member
Lock up every republican

I really hope all the fuckers that voterd against have a hard look in the mirror and ask themselves what kind of human they really are
 
M

Mael

Member
I wonder if there's a way to send the 69 pieces of shit to go live with the people they refused to help... Maybe they'll hear about what people in these areas think about them too.
 
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