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September 22, 2013 12:05 PM UTC

Gardner Works Fellow Republicans For Flood Relief Dollars

  • 16 Comments
  • by: Colorado Pols
Rep. Cory Gardner (R).
Rep. Cory Gardner (R).

7NEWS' Marshall Zelinger reports:

Hundreds of millions in emergency federal highway money will be coming to Colorado.

Rep. Cory Gardner, R-Yuma, told 7NEWS that the Colorado Congressional delegation was successful in getting the House Appropriations chairman to lift the $100 million Federal Highway Administration emergency relief funding cap.

"I'm excited that he's given us that promise to do that, to provide the emergency dollars that we need and get that statutory cap lifted as has been done in the past for other disasters," said Gardner…

As a number of liberal outlets including the nationally prominent ThinkProgress noted last week, Rep. Cory Gardner, along with the other three Republicans in Colorado's congressional delegation, voted against a bill funding reconstruction of areas affected by 2012's Hurricane Sandy. In this story, Gardner offers his explanation:

Gardner had already voted in favor of $17 billion in emergency aid for Superstorm Sandy. Before that bill was finalized, $33 billion in additional funds for pet projects were added to the Sandy bill. When Colorado's request was denied, Gardner voted against the emergency aid bill.

"I supported the Sandy package initially, and of course, when the secondary supplemental came through, I opposed it because they refused to put money for Colorado in it," said Gardner. "I was so frustrated this spring, when we had a chance to provide Coloradans disaster aid, just like we were to other parts of the country that had suffered, and of course, Colorado was treated differently."

The stripping of funds for Colorado flood mitigation–by Gardner's fellow House Republicans, don't forget–was a bipartisan sore point for our local representatives, but it didn't stop the Democrats in the Colorado delegation from voting for the final Sandy aid bill. Other Republicans like Rep. Doug Lamborn voted against the Sandy relief bill on ideological grounds that had little to do with provisions for local funding. With that said, the reality of Republican control of the House today means that Rep. Gardner, arguably the most influential Republican member of the Colorado delegation, is going to play a key role in obtaining federal aid for Colorado to recover from this disaster. The fact is, Colorado is likely going to need a comprehensive relief bill: not as many billions as was required for Hurricane Sandy, but Gardner has likely only delivered the first piece of what will ultimately be needed.

Bottom line: there is a justifiable and plain question of hypocrisy here, especially in the greater context of the fiscal debate in Washington. It is plainly hypocritical to vote against disaster relief for others, then expect it when you need it for your own constituents. In the larger debate over the role of government at all levels throughout America today, there are many such hypocrisies.

But for today, with Colorado citizens desperately in need, Gardner will be allowed to defer those hard questions.

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16 thoughts on “Gardner Works Fellow Republicans For Flood Relief Dollars”

  1. What do you call my representative — a complete and total disgrace, a waste human flesh, devoid of any human decency, nothing but a self-interested SOB?  Hypocrite is far too generous.

    I can't help but think that if the flood damaged had been limited to the metro-Denver area that this waste of a man would be opposing it?!?

    Having ranted those bits, I do hope that we find that the rest of the Representatives in the house are not at all as Gardneresque . . . 

  2. Watching them go from "Drown Government in a Bathtub!" to "Mommy I need my Big Government Stat!" and then back again as they merrily attempt to throw every state that suffers a disaster but their own under the bus is enough to induce dizziness, whiplash and nausea. Of course the nausea pretty much goes for everything every GOP pol attempts to do.

  3. When I first saw this title, I honestly thought it read "Gardner Twerks Fellow Republicans For Flood Relief Dollars."

    And then I realized that might not be far from the truth.

      1. Mama – now I can't scan past this headline without seeing 'Twerks' – and throwing Steve King and Louie Gohmert into the fray.  Try to scrub that from your imagination wink

  4. The Democrats will make a lot of political hay out of Representative Gardner's dilemna.  Surely he won't get reelected if he doesn't have the political clout to bring adequate federal relief for his greatly impacted district.  Colorado then turns a deeper blue.  

    1. If it's about clout, then the flood victims are screwed.  It's beg, plead, kiss, and grovel time for Mr. Gardner (– that, plus a whole lot of hope and prayer that there's a little bit more humanity and common decency in the hearts of a few of the House Republicans than our Representative has ever demonstrated in his lifetime . . .)

    1. Actually if you read the comments Raymommasboy, the 'facts' that are cited are clearly disputed.  Try some honesty for change before venting your mommasboy outrage.

      The bottom line is the 'Kill Government' Republicans are hypocrites when it comes to disaster relief and finding solutions to climate related calamities.

    2. Probably the more embarrassing truth is that even when Gardner wanted a government handout for his pet cause, he still couldn't get it done.  If success is defined by achieving your objectives then the guy is an abject failure at securing tangible govenment disaster funding.  Why should he still be employed when he can't do his job when his constituents are in need?

  8. Well, I went to your link and didn't see any proof of "pants in fire" there. Just a desperate attempt to let him off the hypocrisy hook on a technicality and more evidence of his different attitude when something happens on his own turf. 

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