Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn will seek to offset federal aid to victims of a massive tornado

[DonViejo]

Source: TPM

Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn will seek to offset federal aid to victims of a massive tornado that blasted through Oklahoma City suburbs on Monday with cuts elsewhere in the budget.

"That's always been his position [to offset disaster aid]," a spokesman told the Huffington Post Monday night. "He supported offsets to the bill funding the OKC bombing recovery effort."

Coburn, who intends to retire in 2016, joined his fellow Oklahoma Sen. Jim Inhofe (R) last year in supporting an amendment that would have substantially cut a package of $60 billion dollars intended for reconstruction of the East Coast in the wake of Superstorm Sandy. The measure eventually passed in two parts with most of the Senate Republican caucus in opposition, but not before New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie (R) and New York GOP Reps. Peter King and Michael Grimm offered scathing critiques that their party was abandoning stranded people in the wake of the storm.

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Read more: http://livewire.talkingpointsmemo.com/entry/oklahoma-gop-sen-tom-coburn-will-seek-to

[kestrel91316]

1. Oh, so he thinks he is gonna starve Granny so that he can

take care of his OWN folks.

Maybe he should specifically request cuts in OK pork. I could get on board with that.

[SoapBox]

23. Exactly.

Maybe the KKKoch Brothers could pony up a few paltry million to help out.

[roguevalley]

31. how is it that they don't ever get their asses shellacked themselves?

[avebury]

42. Because way to many people in Oklahoma

think the same way. They are anti-Federal government and Obama and pro states rights. The state legislature is a total hack to the ultra conservatives. The Republicans have grabbed so much control that the Democrats can't do squat anymore.

[AndyA]

45. Sometimes they do

John Sullivan lost his seat in the primary, and he was as bad as the rest of the Republicans in Oklahoma. Unfortunately, his replacement isn't any better. Coburn says he isn't running again, so hopefully we can get some progressive people in office in 2016.

[BeyondGeography]

2. The asshattery never ends

[allan01]

3. re:Oklahoma Republican Sen. Tom Coburn will seek to offset federal aid to victims of a massive torna

like cut his own salary to minimum wage ?

[Cha]

16. +1

[SoapBox]

24. Maybe Coburn could give up his Healthcare to help out with costs!!!

...just a thought!

[Grins]

38. Fine.

As long as those cuts are specifically aimed at the state beneficiaries of that aid.

For every dollar Oklahoma citizens pay in federal taxes, they get $1.36 back. Take it out of there. The feds give the state of Oklahoma $600 million a year for education purposes, so start there. Then move Tinker Air Force Base's logistics center to New Jersey (for every dollar in federal taxes they get back $.61), and it's air wing to California (for every dollar in federal taxes they get back $.78).

[abelenkpe]

4. Someone somewhere is suffering?

Republicans will help only if they can be sure others will be made to suffer as well.

[hrmjustin]

5. It is always about the money with these gopers.

[Skittles]

6. yup

but senseless wars are A-OK

[hrmjustin]

7. They are bought and paid for.

[Skittles]

9. AND

no doubt they call themselves CHRISTIANS

[hrmjustin]

13. That is what really infuriates me.

[Liberal Veteran]

8. Of course, I mean, think of the enormous tragedy of adding anything to defecit.

That's the most important thing to worry about in the first few hours of an emergency. That and party purity.

Either that, or he is trying (badly) to get ahead of some scrutiny on his past about emergency relief.

Or both.

[Bjorn Against]

10. This is just plain stupid

He is going to play politics with aid to the people of his own state. I just hope that any backfire from this stupidity only harms Coburn and does not keep any aid away from the people who need it.

[Cha]

18. Please let it backfire! It is stupid.. has he ever been accused of being

smart in any real sense?

[blkmusclmachine]

22. That blows harder than an Oklahoma tornado.

Starve one Republican, so another Republican can eat. Meh.

[freshwest]

11. Which group of people is he going to SCREW is the question? Offsets, my ass.

[Tx4obama]

12. Additional aritcle below

Oklahoma Senators Jim Inhofe, Tom Coburn, Face Difficult Options On Disaster Relief

WASHINGTON -- As frantic rescue missions continued Monday in Oklahoma following the catastrophic tornadoes that ripped through the state, it appeared increasingly likely that residents who lost homes and businesses would turn to the federal government for emergency disaster aid. That could put the state's two Republican senators in an awkward position.

Sens. Jim Inhofe and Tom Coburn, both Republicans, are fiscal hawks who have repeatedly voted against funding disaster aid for other parts of the country. They also have opposed increased funding for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), which administers federal disaster relief.

Late last year, Inhofe and Coburn both backed a plan to slash disaster relief to victims of Hurricane Sandy. In a December press release, Coburn complained that the Sandy Relief bill contained "wasteful spending," and identified a series of items he objected to, including "$12.9 billion for future disaster mitigation activities and studies."

Coburn spokesman John Hart on Monday evening confirmed that the senator will seek to ensure that any additional funding for tornado disaster relief in Oklahoma be offset by cuts to federal spending elsewhere in the budget. "That's always been his position ," Hart said. "He supported offsets to the bill funding the OKC bombing recovery effort." Those offsets were achieved in 1995 by tapping federal funds that had not yet been appropriated.

In 2011, both senators opposed legislation that would have granted necessary funding for FEMA when the agency was set to run out of money. Sending the funds to FEMA would have been "unconscionable," Coburn said at the time.

-snip-

Full article here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2013/05/20/oklahoma-senators-disaster-relief_n_3309234.html

[John2]

39. Instead of talking about offsets,

I think both of these senators need to do their jobs as U.S. senators from the state of Oklahoma. They need to go back home and see what assistance they can get to their citizens through Congress, instead of being concerned about paying for it. That is what the Aid is for. You don't need offsets if you stop trying to cut funding for it. You do not cut AID for other people that need it also, like Head Start and food assistance. If you can't do anything productive, You don't need to be in the Senate period! That is my position!

[Dustlawyer]

48. But if they go back to Oklahoma they might have to face actual victims!

[SCVDem]

14. I have an idea!

Let's raise taxes on the rich and the corporations!

Whadda ya think?

[KansDem]

37. Hmmm...compelling and original...

Let's do it!

[aquart]

54. Only if we actually hire people to collect it.

Oh, look. a jobs program.

[Rosa Luxemburg]

15. If it had flattened his house he would have asked the Government for aid

[Cha]

17. Billionaires Paying Fair Share of Taxes. there.. I've fixed it for you,

greedy goplutocRAT.

[quakerboy]

19. I assume he wants to cut it out of

Government money for churches?
Or maybe the bloated defense budget?
Perhaps out of subsides to big agro or oil companies?
Maybe ending a tax loophole or two that only ever apply to the rich?

No?

Huh.

[TygrBright]

20. OK, let's start by "offsetting" his salary and retirement benefits package against it. n/t

[go west young man]

21. Coburn with a double dumbass whammy today.

What with this and the forged Benghazi emails. Hopefully he and Issa get a dose of bad karma right soon.

[DallasNE]

25. How About A Carbon Tax Instead

To help fund recovery/rebuilding of areas devastated by natural disasters such as the Moore, OK experienced today. With sequester cuts already in place where does one fine these offsets?

[Politicalboi]

26. I had a feeling

For once, they don't want to look like hypocrites, at the expense of people getting somewhat of a life back. Typical. I knew it, I was sort of joking earlier that they would vote No for relief. Who would have thought.

[KatyaR]

27. Yes, because his fucking principles are more important

than helping his fellow Oklahomans.

I hope this comes back and bites him in the ass.

[grantcart]

28. Then let him propose to offset it from other funds directed towards OK

I am sure that OK is already a major recipient of federal funds in ratio to revenue.

How would that be Tom?

[SunSeeker]

29. Reminds of the guy who holds his own kids hostage.

The fact that he is doing this to his own constituents shows how craven he is, not they it was any less craven when he did it to Sandy victims. And he knows that Dems will yield and let the Reps make further cuts to some poverty programs. He knows Dems can't stomach letting people devastated by a storm go unhelped---because they are not soulless tools like Republicans.

[YOHABLO]

30. Hey, you people in Oklahoma, you got the man you wanted to represent you. Happy?

[Ganja Ninja]

40. Exactly! If you vote for someone like this that means you believe and support the things he does.

And you deserve to live by them.

Sorry Oklahoma, maybe next election.

[Dustlawyer]

49. Being from Texas I know a thing or two about being a Progressive trapped in a Red state.

Why should they (the liberals) be punished because too many in their state are brainwashed? Other than Howard Dean's 50 state strategy which helped Democrats in Southern Red States advance their agenda, we have been ignored down here and written off. No need to fight down there it hopeless! Bullshit! Those people need help! Show them how important help is by giving it. Educate them on why these programs are necessary. Make this an opportunity to win back some of the brainwashed instead of turning your back on them. Show them their politicians are with the insurance companies who are going to screw those folks in the coming months and years. This would be a great time to organize and get volunteers, first to help the victims, and later to help real Progressives get elected!

[Ganja Ninja]

55. Of course I'm not seriously suggesting we don't help the people of Oaklahoma.

But I think we need to confront the hypocrisy by forcing the issue to be debated and pointing out what their own representatives would have for others facing disaster in other parts of the country. And at the very least the budgets offsets Tom Coburn is calling for all come from corporate welfare and tax breaks for the rich.

[radhika]

32. Good Idea! Cut oil subsidies, corporate tax loopholes Gitmo.... n/t

[Myrina]

51. ... and whatever subsidies Keystone XL would have gotten ...

n/t

[1ProudAtheist]

33. Hoist Both Of Those Fuckluggs

In front of the entire United States Senate and shame them mercilessly over their "NO" votes for the victims of Sandy. The people of Oklahoma deserve all of the federal aid that they can get, and they certainly deserve better representation in Washington the the azzclowns that they voted into those positions. Good Ole' KARMA....she is one horrific b*tch when you go a messing with her.

[adieu]

34. Hey Tom,

if you're going to ask for an offset to pay for the damages in OK, then I think we'd just better agree that you guys in OK don't get anything, all right?

It's one thing to be a bit selfish and ask for money when you denied it to NJ and other places. It's another when you ask for the money and ask others to self-deny themselves of that money so that it would go to your state. So, eff-you.

[MFM008]

35. HEY

Why dont you clowns off set it by reducing your salaries. Theres an idea.

[jessie04]

36. Give them the same bs reasons they gave Sandy victims.

' well, there's a lot of waste and we can't afford it......sorry'

[Ganja Ninja]

41. This is a perfect opportunity for Democrats to tack on aid for all the people that the GOP has ...

screwed over and to insist on tax increases and cuts to corporate subsidies.

[Solly Mack]

43. Damn

[Wernothelpless]

44. Sorry Oaklahoma ...

Budget cuts ... y'all better git on out there on the end of a shovel and take care of each other yerselves ... the guverment is too busy trying to repeal Obama care ... you're on your own ...

good luck! ...

[1Greensix]

46. why should anyone else suffer

Why on Earth should anyone else besides those in Oklahoma suffer just because people there got hit by a tornado? Why should children's lunch programs all suffer because Oklahomans live in Tornado Alley? Most schools in Oklahoma do NOT have storm shelters. Why not? So Coburn wants the rest of America to help people too stupid or cheap to build houses and schools with proper storm shelters? If I were a senator from NJ, I would tell him to go screw himself if he thinks he was going to get my vote for disaster relief. Children died because parents were cheapskates.

[Skittles]

63. WTF

UGLY

[Arkana]

47. Goddamnit, Coburn is a cold-hearted bastard.

[Myrina]

50. He and his Nutbag pals can all donate their salaries ...

... and any campaign/PAC contributions & offshore bank accounts to the folks in Oklahoma.

And then those folks in OK better remember - and un elect his ass - next election cycle.

[sinkingfeeling]

52. Let's take it all out of the DOD's budget!

[graham4anything]

53. At least the good news is, Coburn is retiring. We can win the seat in 2016.

[LonePirate]

60. We cannot and will not win a US Senate election in OK in 2016, not even with Hilary atop the ticket

Oklahoma is as about as red as they come. Dems have no chance in statewide elections there.

[geek tragedy]

56. Don't negotiate with hostage takers.

If they refuse to accept aid funds without offsets, the people of Oklahoma will just have to go Galt.

[blm]

57. Offset by canceling prime healthcare packages GOP lawmakers have but withhold from other citizens

And cut your salaries like you demanded from working class and working poor the last 10 years.

[rdking647]

58. karma is a bitch

and will come back to bite this douchebag in the ass

[KinMd]

59. Take it out of the defense budget if he insists

[cstanleytech]

61. Really people? Come on we can be better than this so lets support Sen. Tom Coburn and cut spending

to pay for the aid.
I know, what if we make all the cuts from the military? We already spend 3x more than what China, Russia, Germany, Japan, Italy, Great Britain and France combined together spend on theirs so surely the US military should have an easy time dealing with a tiny bit less money.

Edit: In fact I wonder what the savings for closing some military bases like Tinker Air Force Base might be

[2Design]

62. Take any and all pork he has put in for oklahoma out of budget and for himself

and give it to the people

[LuckyTheDog]

64. Not surprising. Guys like that are obsessed with their agenda.

Source: https://www.facebook.com/photo.php?fbid=367925456640932&set=a.269925949774217.45130.268963819870430&type=1&theater