After Rep. Eric Cantor’s district was shaken by last week’s earthquake, he said he’d refuse earthquake aid for Virginia’s 7th unless the federal government laid people off in other sectors. So when the 7th was hit hard by Hurricane Irene over the weekend, Lowell asked, “Will Can’tor hold his own district hostage to his crazy ideology, just as he held the entire country hostage over the summer, or will he cave to practical political reality?”
Today we have our answer – Cantor’s sticking with the Tea Party over his own district once again:
Despite the devastation caused by Hurricane Irene this weekend, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) today stood by his call that no more money be allocated for disaster relief unless it is offset by spending cuts elsewhere. The Washington Post reported this morning that FEMA will need more money than it currently has to deal with the storm’s aftermath and is already diverting funds from other recent disasters to deal with the hurricane, but Cantor’s comments suggest Republicans won’t authorize more funds without a fight.
Cantor took the position following the tornadoes that devastated Joplin, Missouri and elsewhere in the spring and summer, and after last week’s earthquake, the epicenter for which was in his district, but the hurricane’s level of destruction is far beyond that of those disasters. Still, Cantor told Fox News that while “we’re going to find the money,” “we’re just going to need to make sure that there are savings elsewhere to do so.”
Watch.
UPDATE by Lowell: Check out this tweet by Bob McDonnell, and note whose name is NOT on there. Could it be…the guy in the title of Miles’ article here? Hmmm. Also, note that Bon Air is in Eric Can’tor’s district!!!
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