Holy Hypocrisy! Look At What These Republicans Want Now! (VIDEO)

It is not surprising to hear that three lawmakers from Louisiana are requesting help. Their state has just experienced some of the worst flood damage in its history.

So when Reverbpress reports that Representatives Steve Scalise (R-La), John Fleming (R-La), and Senator Bill Cassidy (R-La) have asked the President for disaster relief, it doesn’t seem like big news.

A look back at recent history, however, puts the request in a slightly different light. That’s because back in 2012, all three of these guys voted against federal funding to aid the victims of Hurricane Sandy.

To be fair, the three Louisiana politicians didn’t vote outright to deny help to the devastated citizens of New Jersey and New York. Instead, they followed the Tea Party philosophy, which demands that all new spending must be offset by cuts to other parts of the budget.

In this case, the GOP lawmakers were asking for cuts that would never have been passed, meaning that they knew they were killing the funding bill. The suggested cuts included subsidies for mass transit and several agricultural projects. When those cuts were denied, the three Louisiana officials voted against the 50 million aid package for Sandy victims.

Now all three of them are asking the federal government to fork over the cash so they can rebuild their own flood ravaged towns.

Again, in the interest of fairness, its important to say that there is a slight difference in the two relief packages. The Sandy relief was an addition relief package, to be added to federal funds already spent in the area. The Louisiana request was an original request for an emergency declaration and financial help.

If you ask me, that’s a distinction without a difference. There is little doubt that Louisiana will need more help than what has been provided through the emergency declaration that has already been signed.

They are going to need millions to rebuild houses, businesses, roads and infrastructure. They’ll need federal help to do that.

They must be hoping that nobody in Congress tries to hold that help hostage to cuts in education, healthcare, agriculture, or military spending.

They must be hoping that other lawmakers can see the moral and financial need to help out American citizens when disaster strikes.

Featured image by NPS Climate Change Response via Flickr. Available in the public domain.

Karen is a retired elementary school teacher with many years of progressive activism behind her. She is the proud mother of three young adults who were all arrested with Occupy Wall Street. To see what she writes about in her spare time, check out her blog at "Empty Nest, Full Life"