August 30, 2011 06:19 PM UTC

They're All Tom Tancredos Now

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• by: Colorado Pols

Los Angeles Times:

As FEMA’s budget is under new strain in the aftermath of Hurricane Irene, a top House Republican maintained that any new funds allocated for federal disaster relief must be offset by budget cuts elsewhere.

Speaking on Fox News Channel, House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said a natural disaster like Hurricane Irene is an “appropriate instance” for a federal role, but that the government can’t go deeper into debt to pay for unexpected outlays…

Cantor’s position has been the consistent view of majority Republicans since taking control of the House, even with disaster relief funding running thin after yet another severe weather event. [Pols emphasis]

In anticipation of new requests for federal support, FEMA confirmed Monday it would temporarily halt appropriations for any new projects tied to previous disasters like the tornadoes in Missouri or Alabama.

Reading this story, we were reminded of the vote by former Rep. Tom Tancredo of Colorado in 2005 against disaster relief funding for victims of Hurricane Katrina–one of only 11 members of Congress to do so, and the only member from Colorado’s delegation. Tancredo came in for some intense criticism over that vote, but he never once apologized for it: almost a point of pride to have made “the hard decision” to prioritize spending restraint over disaster relief.

And as you can see, today he’s got plenty of company.