[This is Act Three in Ology's continuing series "Rand Paul: Just Another Politician" series. Click here for Act One and here for Act Two.]
Rand Paul (R-Above Sea Level) spent yesterday sticking it to the District of Columbia for some reason. Now he's got a problem with flood victims. Paul is holding up a bill extending the National Flood Insurance Program, a division of FEMA, funding for which runs out right in the middle of hurricane season. Oh, and there's a tropical storm headed for the gulf right now.
So this better be important. Via TPM:
The Senate may not be able to clear its entire near-term agenda before the Independence day recess because Sen. Rand Paul (R-KY) won’t allow a measure extending the FEMA’s National Flood Insurance Program for five years to move forward until he gets a vote on legislation declaring that human life begins at conception.
"Just trying to get a vote for the people who elected me," Paul told TPM in the Capitol Tuesday evening. "If he'll give me a free-standing vote, I'll take a free-standing vote anytime. He hasn't been really forthcoming with offering a free-standing vote on it."
Goodie. Reid, whatever his other flaws, is not a man to be trifled with:
That leaves Paul exposed to the same political recriminations House Republicans faced last year when they flirted with the idea of requiring that disaster relief funds be offset with cuts elsewhere in the federal budget. And while there’s time left for Paul and Senate leaders to work out an alternative arrangement, Reid’s happy to let Paul suffer the consequences in the meantime.
Paul's clearly impressed with himself. Perhaps he should call his dad, whose state gets ravaged by floods from time to time.
In the meantime, this has been another installment of the continuing series of the Paul line descending from ideological warriors to Beltway game-players.
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