Key Vote Alert – “NO” on Sandy Relief Bill and Frelinghuysen Amdt.

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KEY VOTE ALERT

“NO” on the Sandy Relief Bill (HR 152) and Frelinghuysen Amdt. (#2)

The Club for Growth urges all members of the U.S. House to vote “NO” on both the $17 billion Sandy relief bill (HR 152) and the Frelinghuysen amendment (#2) to add another $33.67 billion in funding for long-term projects. Consideration on the House floor is expected this week. These votes will be included in the Club for Growth’s 2013 congressional scorecard.

Disasters may be unpredictable, but we know with 100% certainty that they will occur. Therefore, Congress shouldn’t keep passing massive “emergency” relief bills that aren’t paid for, have little oversight, and are stuffed with pork. Also, Congress shouldn’t use disasters like Hurricane Sandy as an excuse to spend billions on long-term projects that should be considered during the regular appropriations process.

As we have said in previous key vote alerts, there are more responsible ways to pass disaster relief legislation. For starters, funds could be released in installments to make sure the resources are spent more wisely. They should also strip out all immaterial line items, and fully offset all expenditures with spending cuts elsewhere. Serious reform would also include a way for the states to take over the responsibility for future disaster relief funding so that accountability is more localized.