Conservatives were trying to make the vote to increase the National Flood Insurance Program’s borrowing authority by $9.7 billion about the debt, but in reality they actually were voting to pay the approved claims of Sandy victims who had purchased flood insurance. According to the AP, “The bill gives more borrowing authority to the National Flood Insurance Program to pay about 115,000 pending Sandy-related claims as well as about 5,000 claims unrelated to Sandy.”
The victims who filed these claims paid their premiums as participants in the National Flood Insurance Program. These individuals and businesses weren’t looking for free government money. They only expected to made whole by their insurer who had approved their damage claims. This vote had nothing to do with disaster relief. The vote was about carrying out a legal obligation to those who paid their premiums and had their claims approved.
In short, Paul Ryan and 66 other House Republicans tried to ripoff Hurricane Sandy victims by voting to not pay their approved flood insurance claims.
I don't know what to say about this. It seems like OccupySandy has been the only group in America giving any concerted effort to help these victims in New York. I watched the same thing happen in Louisiana when Katrina hit it. Whole Foods Market was I believe the first outside organization assisting Louisiana during the first week; FEMA came in after the fact and seemed to cause more harm than good according to the residents. Why will the US government spend trillions of dollars freely on national defense (mainly money put overseas policing foreign nations) but haggle and try to weasel their way out of giving money rightfully owed to legitimate victims of it's own nation?
Here is Republican Huelskamp speaking on the issue. Keep in mind when you watch this that this money is owed to people paying into insurance, perhaps they should determine what a "legitimate disaster" is and get back to us.
http://youtu.be/aYHyugE8CKc
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