‘That Is Sad And Sick’: GOP Rep Blasts Dems For Playing Political Games With Disaster Aid For Maui, Florida

Republican Rep. Mark Alford of Missouri ripped “sad and sick” Democrats on Wednesday for tying disaster relief funding for Maui and Florida to additional aid for Ukraine.

The deadly wildfire on the island of Maui in August killed at least 115 people and left hundreds missing, according to CNN. Hurricane Idalia hit the west coast of Florida on Aug. 30 and caused flooding and damage, which included a tree falling to hit the governor’s mansion while Florida First Lady Casey DeSantis and her children were in the building.

“Congress already authorized $113 billion, $67 billion of that to direct military assistance. It’s kind of like a home equity line of credit. We have given the president authority to spend up to that amount,” Alford told “Mornings with Maria” guest host Cheryl Casone. “He spent less than half than what we have given him and now he’s coming back asking that we give him more. Before we left to come back to the district, it was 20.6 billion in aid to Ukraine and now he wants to tie that to assistance for the folks in Maui who were devastated and the folks in Florida. I think that is sad and sick.”

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The United States has sent over $100 billion in aid to Ukraine since Russia invaded on Feb. 24, 2022. The Biden administration announced in January they would send 31 M1 Abrams main battle tanks after saying a battery of MIM-104 Patriot surface-to-air missiles would be provided in December.

The Biden administration announced in July plans to send Ukraine M864 155-millimeter artillery shells, known as dual-purpose improved conventional munitions (DPICM), which dispense smaller explosive weapons over an area to attack personnel and vehicles. Cluster munitions are controversial due to the risk posed by “dud” submunitions that could cause harm to civilians long after a conflict is over, The Washington Post reported.

Republished with permission from The Daily Caller News Foundation.