Dems & Pelosi’s Defense of Wasteful Spending Threatens Government Shutdown, Puts Disaster Relief at Risk

September 26, 2011

FYI, a similar version of this release below went out to the following districts: John Barrow (GA-12), Sanford Bishop (GA-02), Tim Bishop (NY-01), Leonard Boswell (IA-03), Bruce Braley (IA-01), Lois Capps (CA-23), Dennis Cardoza (CA-18), Russ Carnahan (MO-03), Kathy Castor (FL-11), Ben Chandler (KY-06), David Cicilline (RI-01), Gerry Connolly (VA-11), Jim Costa (CA-20), Jerry Costello (IL-12), Mark Critz (PA-12), Henry Cuellar (TX-28), Peter DeFazio (OR-04), Raul Grijalva (AZ-07), Brian Higgins (NY-27), Jim Himes (CT-04), Ruben Hinojosa (TX-15), Kathy Hochul (NY-26), Rush Holt (NJ-12), Steve Israel (NY-02), Bill Keating (MA-10), Ron Kind (WI-03), Rick Larsen (WA-02), David Loebsack (IA-02), Jim Matheson (UT-02), Mike McIntyre (NC-07), Jerry McNerney (CA-11), Brad Miller (NC-13), Bill Owens (NY-23), Frank Pallone (NJ-06), Ed Perlmutter (CO-07), Gary Peters (MI-09), Collin Peterson (MN-07), Chellie Pingree (ME-01), David Price (NC-04), Nick Rahall (WV-03), Loretta Sanchez (CA-47), Kurt Schrader (OR-05), Adam Smith (WA-09), Betty Sutton (OH-13), John Tierney (MA-06), Niki Tsongas (MA-05), Pete Visclosky (IN-01), Tim Walz (MN-01), John Yarmuth (KY-03)

McIntyre & Pelosi’s Defense of Wasteful Spending Threatens Government Shutdown, Puts Disaster Relief at Risk
North Carolina Democrat Votes to Give More Money to Companies Like Solyndra Instead of Helping Disaster Victims

Washington — Despite the urgent need this week to provide disaster relief to the victims who need it and fund the federal government to avoid a shutdown, Mike McIntyre has so far supported doing neither. Even though McIntyre’s Democrat leaders have diverted money from the same wasteful programs they are currently defending to fund things like “cash-for-clunkers,” he now refuses to do the same to provide disaster relief and avert a government shutdown.

“Mike McIntyre continues to demonstrate how misguided his priorities are when he refuses to vote for any disaster relief that would avoid a government shutdown, just to protect giving more taxpayer dollars to failed companies like Solyndra,” said NRCC Communications Director Paul Lindsay. “If McIntyre’s Democrat leaders can support making ‘cash-for-clunkers’ a priority over this program, then he should be more than willing to do the same for disaster victims and the middle-class families who are counting on the federal government to run uninterrupted.”

McIntyre has refused to vote for disaster relief or to avoid a government shutdown in order to protect wasteful spending, like giving more government loans to companies like the now-bankrupt Solyndra. (H.R. 2608, Roll Call #727, Passed 219-203: R 213-24; D 6-179, 9/23/11)

House Democrat Leader Nancy Pelosi has said it was a complete non-starter:

“House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) said Thursday that Democrats will not support a stopgap funding measure that includes any offsetting of additional disaster relief funds, putting pressure on House Republicans to rework their funding resolution either to include additional money or to make deeper cuts in order to attract conservative support.” (Felicia Sonmez, “Pelosi: Democrats will not support any disaster relief offset,” The Washington Post‘s 2chambers Blog, 9/22/11)

Democrat leaders have supported taking money from this program when it was needed the past – but only to support more of their wasteful government programs:

“Democrats oppose a Republican plan to take money from clean-energy loan guarantee programs to pay for disaster relief as part of a short-term spending bill to keep the government operating beyond Friday’s end of the fiscal year. But twice before, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., diverted money–$3.5 billion total–from the renewable-energy program that issued loan guarantees to Solyndra to fund other programs. The first time he dipped into the program was to pay for the administration’s ‘cash for clunkers’ program; the second time was for state aid. Democrats weren’t thrilled with Reid, but they kept their frustrations in check. But now that Republicans want to use the clean-energy money for disaster relief, Dems are standing firm.” (“N2K Top 10: CR Standoff Moves to Senate Today; U.S. Presence To Remain Strong In Iraq Consulates,” National Journal‘s Need-To-Know Memo, 9/26/11)

Mike McIntyre and Nancy Pelosi could not be more out of touch with what his North Carolina constituents want. McIntyre is now standing firm with his Washington Democrat leaders in deciding that aide for disaster victims is not as important as giving taxpayer dollars to companies like Solyndra.

Dem Defense of Wasteful Spending Threatens Government Shutdown, Puts Disaster Relief at Risk http://ow.ly/6F6Vu #madeinwdc

###