Rep. Matt Gaetz voted against legislation that would have provided aid to victims of Hurricane Ian, which left a path of destruction in the congressman’s home state of Florida.
On Friday, the House of Representatives voted 230 to 201 for a resolution to keep the government open until December 16. The resolution, which remains in effect, also gives the Federal Emergency Management Authority the authority to spend money through the Disaster Relief Fund.
According to FEMA, the DRF pays for the repair and restoration of disaster-damaged infrastructure, hazard reduction initiatives, financial assistance for victims, and grants for large forest and rangeland fire suppression.
Only 10 Republicans voted against the resolution in the House of Representatives on Friday. The bill passed the Senate on Thursday, with Florida Sen. Rick Scott voting against it. Sen. Marco Rubio, the Sunshine State’s other U.S. senator, was not present to vote for it.
The vote came as Hurricane Ian, a Category 4 storm, made landfall in the state, at least 47 people died and Florida utilities worked to restore power to the state.
Mr. Gaetz was among a group of Republicans who circulated a letter earlier this month saying they would not vote for “any continuing resolution that expires before the first day of the 118th Congress, or any appropriations package proposed in the remaining months of this year. A Democrat-led Congress.”
“As the September 30 federal funding deadline approaches, Republicans must do whatever it takes to ensure that not one additional penny goes to this administration’s radical, inflationary agenda,” the letter said. “Any legislation that sets the stage for a ‘lame duck’ fight against government funding gives Democrats one last chance to pass this agenda.”