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New Orleans Rep. Hits Cantor On Disaster Relief Offsets

As Hurricane Irene bears down on the East Coast, Rep. Cedric Richmond (D-LA), whose New Orleans district was devastated by Hurricane Katrina, criticized House Majority Leader Eric Cantor’s (R-VA) stance on disaster relief. Without mentioning him by name, the comments clearly seem directed at Cantor, who has said disaster spending should be offset with cuts so as not to grow the deficit. “If that was the policy after Hurricane Katrina we would have been waiting for months or even years for the assistance we needed to get New Orleans up and running again,” Richmond said in a statement:

“I’m asking House GOP leadership to commit to a swift response — one that doesn’t require politically charged cuts to hurting Americans before helping Americans in need. Americans need to know that if a hurricane knocks down your house through no fault of your own, we’re going to be there to help you.”

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