GOP Threatens Disaster Victims
MIAMI (CBSMiami.com) – As Floridians prepare to face the 2011 Atlantic Hurricane season, the Republican-led House of Representatives has a message for victims of disasters: you may be out of luck if you want government assistance.
House Majority leader Eric Cantor appeared on CBS' Face the Nation Sunday and said that while the government would find money to aid Joplin, Missouri's citizens after a tornado through the town; no aid would be sent without that money being offset by federal budget cuts in the amount of money being sent to Joplin.
In an area like South Florida, where hurricanes are a constant threat from June to the end of November, Cantor's comments, echoed by other Republicans, could be especially chilling if the area is devastated by a hurricane.
But Cantor, who multiple times referred to the federal government as a family on a budget, said the federal government doesn't have endless resources, and therefore can't be counted on to help everyone unless the GOP gets the cuts it wants.
It's the latest tool the GOP is using in 2011 to push through severe budget cuts. The GOP first threatened a government shutdown over budget cuts, then relented.
