Oklahoma Senators embrace disaster aid after opposing Sandy relief bill

Oklahoma's two Republican senators voted against the relief bill to help the victims of Hurricane Sandy in New York and New Jersey last year. The bill left FEMA with a balance of $11.6 billion which will now be used to help the victims of the tornado on Oklahoma City.

From Reuters:

Amid expressions of horror, grief and resolve over the devastating tornado that smashed into suburban Oklahoma City, many lawmakers expressed relief on Tuesday that they took action in January to bulk up the FEMA disaster relief fund.

But Oklahoma's two senators, both Republicans, found themselves in an awkward position for having voted against the $60 billion supplemental appropriation bill that was largely aimed at providing relief to victims of Superstorm Sandy, which slammed into coastal New York and New Jersey last year.

The bill left the disaster fund run by the Federal Emergency Management Agency with a healthy balance of $11.6 billion. FEMA spokesman Dan Watson said the amount is sufficient for handling immediate response and recovery efforts in Oklahoma and residual recovery costs associated with Sandy.

In January, Oklahoma Senator James Inhofe called the Sandy appropriations bill a "slush fund" because it included long-term infrastructure spending and funding for projects aimed at disasters other than the devastation along the U.S. East Coast.