This article contains all the information related to Rand Paul’s request of disaster relief funds for his state. It also includes the reaction of Paul and others on state disaster relief fund.
- Cause of Paul’s Critics
Kentucky GOP Sen. Rand Paul hit out at his critics who branded him as a hypocrite for asking for federal funds when his state was wrecked by tornadoes. However, he has a long past of resisting disaster relief bills according to The Washington Post.
On Saturday, the day after the storm, Paul wrote to President Biden a letter seeking to act “expeditiously to approve the appropriate resources for our state.” The state of Kentucky was the most affected with more than 70 people dead.
Critics, in no time, pointed out that the letter was indifferent to the strict resistance of Paul when it came to federal disaster relief funds in the past. Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell in a tweet wrote, “We should do all we can to help our Kentucky neighbors. God be with them — they are hurting. But do not for one second forget that @RandPaul has voted against helping most Americans most times they’re in need.”
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After the consequences of the 2013 Hurricane Sandy, Rand Paul was against a disaster relief provision for the Northeast and told WFPL in Louisville, Kentucky, that whereas the region needed aid, he would like to balance the amount in the federal budget with omissions in other parts of it.
Past Opposition to Such Bills by Paul
During the time, Paul had said, “I would have given them $9 billion and I would’ve taken the $9 billion from somewhere else. I would have taken it from foreign aid and said you know what, we don’t have money for Egypt or Pakistan this year because we have to help the Northeast.”
In the year 2017 after hurricanes Harvey, Irma and Maria, he also said, “People here will say they have great compassion and they want to help the people of Puerto Rico, the people of Texas, and the people of Florida, but notice they have great compassion with someone else’s money.”
On Saturday, Democratic Rep. Ilhan Omar tweeted she’s happy Paul “is finally realizing states needing federal assistance after a disaster isn’t gritty, wasteful or being ‘compassionate with someone else’s money.” She further added, “We are one Nation and should always be able to count on one another regardless of your state’s politics.
This is America.” On Tuesday Paul told The Post that he’s properly asked for emergency help for Kentucky and that he has never been against the program ever. He clarified he was against using “borrowed” sums to fund disaster relief and not balancing the cost somewhere else in the federal budget.
Paul’s Response to Critics
Paul said to The Post, “That’s different than saying, ‘Oh, he now wants it because it’s in his state and he never wanted it. I’ve never opposed anybody’s disaster relief in any other state. I’ve just asked that it be paid for.” In the month of July, Paul also was against the Gulf Coast Hurricane Aid Act, which would have given $1.1 billion in federal help for those struck by hurricanes Laura and Delta.
That bill even contained a financial offset of using some of the $80 billion profited from a radio spectrum auction in 2020. Democratic Sen. Richard Durbin, of the affected state of Illinois told The Post, “I have always voted for disaster aid, and we shouldn’t hold it against disaster victims when their politicians are not doing their job.”
