NY Rep to Okla. Senator: I'll Overlook Your Hypocrisy

Inhofe opposed Sandy aid but wants tornado aid
By Evann Gastaldo,  Newser Staff
Posted May 22, 2013 11:39 AM CDT
NY Rep to Okla. Senator: I'll Overlook Your Hypocrisy
Rep. Peter King, R-NY, asks a question of a witness during a House Homeland Security Committee hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, Thursday, May 9, 2013.   (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)

You knew this was coming: Peter King, who fought hard for Superstorm Sandy aid for his home state of New York, thinks there's "a lot of hypocrisy" when it comes to lawmakers who opposed Sandy aid but are in favor of tornado aid. The subject of his attention most specifically seems to be Oklahoma Sen. James Inhofe. King's take is that Inhofe essentially said "Sandy aid was corrupt but Oklahoma won't be" yesterday on MSNBC. King is peeved, but tells Politico he'll overlook the perceived dig because "I don't want suffering people in Oklahoma to be held hostage while we engage in political fights, saying 'I told you so.'"

As for Inhofe's statement, the New York Daily News reports that he "got his facts partly wrong" when he said that "everybody was getting in and exploiting the tragedy that took place" post-Sandy by slipping pet projects (like "putting roofs on houses in Washington, DC") into the bill. Though the initial Sandy relief bill did include money for areas that were not damaged by the storm, that was just a small portion of the bill and much of that was ultimately dropped. As for Oklahoma's other senator, King thinks aid should be given to Oklahoma without requiring offsets, as Tom Coburn called for. (More Tom Coburn stories.)

Get the news faster.
Tap to install our app.
X
Install the Newser News app
in two easy steps:
1. Tap in your navigation bar.
2. Tap to Add to Home Screen.

X