Gulf Coast collected billions from flood insurance, repays with 'no' votes for Sandy

Gulf Coast collected billions from flood insurance, repays with ‘no’ votes for Sandy

Posted January 4, 2013 By Beth Morrissey & Nathaniel Herz

Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.) voted against the Hurricane Sandy relief bill Friday, even though his district received has received more than $250 million in federal flood insurance funds since 1978.

Many of the Congressional Republicans who voted against $9.7 billion in superstorm Sandy relief Friday come from districts that have received millions of federal dollars under the flood insurance program the bill is intended to replenish.

Of the 67 House votes against the bill, eight came from Texas, which has received more than $5.5 billion under the federal flood insurance program since 1978. That is the third-highest total in the nation on a per capita basis, according to a New York World analysis of Federal Emergency Management Agency data.

While the $9.7 billion insurance bill passed both houses of Congress, the remainder of the $60 billion aid package must still come to a vote in the House, which Republican leaders have pledged will happen by January 15. It appears unlikely that objectors to the insurance funding will embrace other spending in the package.

A spokesperson for Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-Tex.) relayed a statement: “There are Hurricane Sandy victims who need our help and we should help them. But, there has never been an American generation before this one that sought to make future generations pay our bills. Why should our children and grandchildren pay for this relief? I voted against this bill because, yet again, it raised borrowing limits for a program that is currently insolvent without making cuts elsewhere so our grandchildren won’t have to pay the bill. Americans alive today should pay for what we do for the people living now — not leave our bills for future generations.”

Also voting against the measure were four representatives each from North Carolina and South Carolina, as well as one from Mississippi and one from Louisiana, which are frequently hit by severe Gulf storms.

Congressman Steve Palazzo (R-Miss.), voted to shoot down the bill even though he represents the city of Biloxi on the Gulf Coast, which has received over $250 million under the program over the past four decades.

A spokeswoman for Rep. Palazzo said that the Congressman “fully supports” the Sandy relief package, but only if it’s offset by spending cuts.

“On the heels of a fiscal cliff deal that added $4 trillion to our existing $16 trillion national debt, we must ensure that disaster relief is paid for,” said the spokeswoman, Laura Chambers, in an emailed statement.

The vote on the Sandy relief bill passed the House on Friday by a margin of 354 to 67, and came about after Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) shot down a last-minute effort to pass a more comprehensive bill earlier this week.

Following that move, Boehner endured an onslaught of criticism from New York and New Jersey politicians, including Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), who called the move “a betrayal of the millions of Americans who are struggling after Sandy and a trivialization of the loss of more than 100 American lives.”

The $9.7 billion measure passed Friday represents only a portion of the previously proposed hurricane relief package of some $60 billion. It’s the least controversial chunk of the package, allocating money to replenish the National Flood Insurance Program.

Among other items that have come under fire as the Sandy relief package proceeds through Congress are funds for preventing future disaster damage — which like, the flood insurance, have in the past benefited the home states of many opponents.

In addition to the dissent from Texas, five “no” votes came from Georgia and Tennessee, and four each from representatives from Arizona, Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.

North Carolina has received the 10th-highest total amount of flood insurance dollars on a per capita basis since 1978, while South Carolina had the 12th-highest.

Also among the no votes was John Fleming of Louisiana’s fourth district. Shreveport, which he represents, has received over $20 million in federal flood insurance aid.

The World left messages with four other dissenting members in addition to Palazzo and Gohmert, including Fleming. None immediately responded.

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<h1>Gulf Coast collected billions from flood insurance, repays with ‘no’ votes for Sandy</h1><div id="attachment_9310" style="width: 310px" class="wp-caption alignright"><a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.thenewyorkworld.com/2013/01/04/after-federal-funds-flood-their-districts-gop-reps-vote-no-on-sandy-aid/steven-palazzo-2/');" href="http://www.thenewyorkworld.com/2013/01/04/after-federal-funds-flood-their-districts-gop-reps-vote-no-on-sandy-aid/steven-palazzo-2/" rel="attachment wp-att-9310"><img aria-describedby="caption-attachment-9310" class="size-medium wp-image-9310" title="Steven Palazzo" src="http://www.thenewyorkworld.com/wp-content/uploads/Palazzo1-300x192.jpg" alt="" width="300" height="192" srcset="thenewyorkworld.org/wp-content/uploads/Palazzo1-300x192.jpg 300w, thenewyorkworld.org/wp-content/uploads/Palazzo1-466x300.jpg 466w, thenewyorkworld.org/wp-content/uploads/Palazzo1.jpg 512w" sizes="(max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px" /></a>Rep. Steven Palazzo (R-Miss.) voted against the Hurricane Sandy relief bill Friday, even though his district received has received more than $250 million in federal flood insurance funds since 1978.</div>
Many of the Congressional Republicans who voted against $9.7 billion in superstorm Sandy relief Friday come from districts that have received millions of federal dollars under the flood insurance program the bill is intended to replenish.
Of the 67 House votes against the bill, eight came from Texas, which has received more than $5.5 billion under the federal flood insurance program since 1978. That is the third-highest total in the nation on a per capita basis, according to a New York World analysis of Federal Emergency Management Agency <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/bsa.nfipstat.fema.gov/reports/1040.htm');" href="http://bsa.nfipstat.fema.gov/reports/1040.htm">data</a>.
While the $9.7 billion insurance bill passed both houses of Congress, the remainder of the $60 billion aid package must still come to a vote in the House, which Republican leaders have pledged will happen by January 15. It appears unlikely that objectors to the insurance funding will embrace other spending in the package.
A spokesperson for Rep. Louis Gohmert (R-Tex.) relayed a statement: “There are Hurricane Sandy victims who need our help and we should help them. But, there has never been an American generation before this one that sought to make future generations pay our bills. Why should our children and grandchildren pay for this relief? I voted against this bill because, yet again, it raised borrowing limits for a program that is currently insolvent without making cuts elsewhere so our grandchildren won’t have to pay the bill. Americans alive today should pay for what we do for the people living now — not leave our bills for future generations.”
Also voting against the measure were four representatives each from North Carolina and South Carolina, as well as one from Mississippi and one from Louisiana, which are frequently hit by severe Gulf storms.
Congressman Steve Palazzo (R-Miss.), voted to shoot down the bill even though he represents the city of Biloxi on the Gulf Coast, which has received over $250 million under the program over the past four decades.
A spokeswoman for Rep. Palazzo said that the Congressman “fully supports” the Sandy relief package, but only if it’s offset by spending cuts.
“On the heels of a fiscal cliff deal that added $4 trillion to our existing $16 trillion national debt, we must ensure that disaster relief is paid for,” said the spokeswoman, Laura Chambers, in an emailed statement.
The vote on the Sandy relief bill passed the House on Friday by a margin of 354 to 67, and came about after Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) shot down a last-minute effort to pass a more comprehensive bill earlier this week.
Following that move, Boehner endured an onslaught of criticism from New York and New Jersey politicians, including Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D-NY), who called the move “a betrayal of the millions of Americans who are struggling after Sandy and a trivialization of the loss of more than 100 American lives.”
The $9.7 billion measure passed Friday represents only a portion of the previously proposed hurricane relief package of some $60 billion. It’s the <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.nytimes.com/2013/01/05/nyregion/house-passes-9-7-billion-in-relief-for-hurricane-sandy-victims.html?hp');" href="http://www.nytimes.com/2013/01/05/nyregion/house-passes-9-7-billion-in-relief-for-hurricane-sandy-victims.html?hp">least controversial</a> chunk of the package, allocating money to replenish the National Flood Insurance Program.
Among other items that have come under fire as the Sandy relief package proceeds through Congress are <a onclick="javascript:pageTracker._trackPageview('/outgoing/www.thenewyorkworld.com/2013/01/03/storm-aid/');" href="http://www.thenewyorkworld.com/2013/01/03/storm-aid/">funds for preventing future disaster damage</a> — which like, the flood insurance, have in the past benefited the home states of many opponents.
In addition to the dissent from Texas, five “no” votes came from Georgia and Tennessee, and four each from representatives from Arizona, Kansas, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Wisconsin.
North Carolina has received the 10th-highest total amount of flood insurance dollars on a per capita basis since 1978, while South Carolina had the 12th-highest.
Also among the no votes was John Fleming of Louisiana’s fourth district. Shreveport, which he represents, has received over $20 million in federal flood insurance aid.
The World left messages with four other dissenting members in addition to Palazzo and Gohmert, including Fleming. None immediately responded.

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