For the third time Thursday, an individual House Republican scuttled a $19.1 billion disaster aid bill that had been months in the making. The Senate passed the bill last Thursday, with the agreement of House leadership that it would pass the bill the next day in a pro forma session, by unanimous consent.
But there's always at least one asshole Republican in the House whose main job is making sure we can't have anything nice. In this instance, there are three. Rep. Chip Roy of Texas was the first, despite the almost $4.4 billion in the bill that his state has been desperately needing for months and months. On the next attempt Tuesday, Kentucky Rep. Thomas Massie did the dirty work, and he was right by Rep. John Rose's side when the Tennessee Republican blocked it again on Thursday.
About Massie: The Louisville Courier-Journal back home in Kentucky did some very good journalism, reporting that Massie "doesn't mind asking for help when his Kentucky congressional district faces Mother Nature." It reports that "Four times since 2015, Massie has signed letters to the U.S. president with requests that have raked in roughly $56 million for the Bluegrass," and points out that "Massie is often among a handful of House members who consistently object to emergency disaster help for other areas." Asked for comment about this pretty blatant hypocrisy, Massie told the Courier-Journal that "it is with a clear conscience that I advocate for our congressional district's fair share, if those bills ultimately pass."
The House will take the aid bill up again on Monday afternoon, and it will pass on a roll call vote. These Republicans will have done nothing except delay even further the critical disaster relief funding that should have been provided months ago.