In the wake of the devastating hurricane disaster in the Gulf Coast, Congress quickly passed legislation that would appropriate $51.8 billion in emergency supplemental funding for fiscal 2005 (H.R. 3673) to be used for relief in the areas affected by Hurricane Katrina. Commenting on how the tragic images of Katrina were used to justify more federal welfare and interventionism, as opposed to private charity and initiatives, Rep. Ron Paul (R-Texas) noted on September 15, after the House and Senate votes: “These scenes prompted two emotional reactions. One side claims Katrina proved there was not enough government welfare…. The other side claims we need to pump billions of new dollars into the very federal agency that failed (FEMA)…. Both sides support more authoritarianism, more centralization, and even the imposition of martial law in times of natural disasters.”
The House passed the Katrina appropriations bill on September 8, 2005 by a vote of 410-11 (Roll Call 460). We have assigned pluses to the nays because federally financing disaster relief is unconstitutional.
