Pallone Requests Boehner Rebuke Cantor's Remarks to Withhold Federal Aid for Hurricane Victims

Washington, D.C. – Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. Tuesday wrote House Speaker John Boehner asking him to rebuke Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s remarks last week demanding federal aid distributed to hurricane victims be matched with budget cuts. Cantor’s demands would slow delivery of federal aid to thousands of families in New Jersey who depend on it to put their lives back together after one of the most destructive storms New Jerseyans have seen.

“Politics has no place in distributing emergency disaster aid and New Jerseyans should rightfully expect more from their leaders than this callous response,” said Pallone. “I urge Speaker Boehner to move quickly and distribute federal aid to help families put the destruction of Hurricane Irene behind them. “

Cantor’s plan to cut the budget in exchange for federal aid is an unprecedented move that disregards the emergency appropriations process Congress uses to expedite aid.

“It is routine for Congress to provide funding to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s Disaster Relief Fund via emergency supplemental appropriations legislation. Major disasters such as Hurricane Irene cannot be anticipated and therefore funding to respond to these disasters must take place outside of the regular appropriations process so the necessary funds to help communities rebuild are not delayed,” Pallone writes in the letter.

The text of the letter appears below.

September 6, 2011
The Honorable John Boehner
Speaker of the House
H-232, The Capitol
Washington, DC 20515

Dear Speaker Boehner,

I write today regarding comments by members of the Republican leadership about plans to fully offset an emergency disaster supplemental spending bill to respond to the devastation from Hurricane Irene. As you know, early estimates have shown that the recovery costs from this storm could exceed $10 billion.

In New Jersey, thousands of homes and businesses have been damaged by severe flooding. Many residents were forced to evacuate their homes and were without power for days. Critical infrastructure has been damaged, with a number of roads washed away and several bridges damaged.

It is routine for Congress to provide funding to the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s (FEMA) Disaster Relief Fund via emergency supplemental appropriations legislation. Major disasters such as Hurricane Irene cannot be anticipated and therefore funding to respond to these disasters must take place outside of the regular appropriations process so the necessary funds to help communities rebuild are not delayed. Since fiscal year 1989, Congress has appropriated around $292 billion for disaster assistance, mostly through emergency supplemental appropriations legislation.

We must not delay critical disaster relief funding to states that have been devastated by Hurricane Irene. People in New Jersey are struggling to rebuild after one of the most destructive storms to ever hit the state. New Jersey Governor Chris Christie said last week, “I don’t want to hear about the fact that offsetting budget cuts have to come first before New Jersey citizens are taken care of.”

Delaying disaster assistance in order to pursue budget cuts to other federal programs is simply unacceptable. We cannot leave those ravaged by this storm out in the cold while partisan politics in Washington grind the distribution of disaster assistance to a halt. I respectfully request that you work with the White House to expeditiously bring an emergency supplemental appropriations bill to the floor that provides FEMA with the funding necessary to help those affected by Hurricane Irene.

Sincerely,

FRANK PALLONE, JR.
Member of Congress