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The Hill - Jonathan Easley
Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.) said Wednesday he had no interest in another funding fight in Congress over federal aid to the city of Moore, Okla., and other areas affected by the tornado that devastated the small town.
Speaking on CBS’s "This Morning," Cole said he was certain there would be a federal “component” to disaster relief efforts, but that it was better to first “wait and see the extent of the damage” to determine if congressional legislation of the kind passed after Hurricane Sandy was necessary.
Politics 365 - Chad Pergam
There may yet be a fight in Congress over emergency federal spending to cover the cost of the devastating tornado that impaled Moore, OK this week.
But there’s no fight yet. And there might not be one in the end.
Business World - Jason Lange and David Lawder
The chances of a deal between Democratic and Republican lawmakers that would overhaul the US tax system, trim government spending and reform safety net spending programs appear to be fading.
Washington, D.C. – Congressman Tom Cole (OK-04) released the following statement following Monday’s horrific tornado that destroyed neighborhoods, injured residents and left others missing or dead in his hometown of Moore, Oklahoma. The Congressman is a longtime resident of Moore, which is included in the Fourth District of Oklahoma.
Associated Press - Andrew Taylor
Top lawmakers and officials said Tuesday that the federal government has plenty of money on hand to pay for recovery efforts in the wake of the devastating tornado that struck Oklahoma.
The government has more than $11 billion in its main disaster relief fund. Recovery costs in the Oklahoma City suburb of Moore are expected to be a relatively small fraction of that amount. The devastating 2011 tornado that wiped out much of Joplin, Mo., for instance, required about $750 million in federal disaster aid.
BBC News
At least 24 people are confirmed dead, including seven children, and many are missing after a tornado tore through Oklahoma City, US officials say.
Worst hit was Moore, south of the city, where neighbourhoods were flattened and schools destroyed by winds of up to 200mph (320km/h).
About 120 people are being treated in hospitals. Earlier reports said more than 90 people had died.
President Barack Obama has declared a major disaster in Oklahoma.
ABC News - Abby D. Phillip
Republican Rep. Tom Cole, whose district took a direct hit from a powerful tornado on Monday, said the residents of the tornado ravaged towns in Oklahoma need help, not a political battle over funding in Washington.
“Once a disaster starts, to me that’s the end of a discussion. Now we need to focus on the Americans that are in a difficult spot,” Cole told ABC News in an interview today. “They don’t need to be watching a big political battle, they need to be sure they’re getting help.”
Wall Street Journal - Corey Boles and Janet Hook
House Speaker John Boehner (R., Ohio) said Tuesday that House lawmakers would work with the Obama administration to ensure that victims of the tornadoes that ripped through a suburb of Oklahoma City receive the emergency disaster relief they need.
But the Republican leader declined to answer specifics about how big of a disaster relief package would be required, how quickly it would come together or whether the House would insist on offsetting budget costs to defray its cost to the taxpayer.
CBS News - Stephanie Haven
After a ferocious, deadly tornado flattened Moore, Okla., Monday, President Obama Tuesday affirmed the nation's support for those affected by the storm, guaranteeing aid for victims in the destroyed 20-mile-long path.
CNN
Monday afternoon's devastating tornado in the Oklahoma City suburbs brought to mind a May 1999 EF5 twister that killed 36 people and smashed some of the same communities.
On May 3, 1999, a total of 74 tornadoes pummeled Kansas and Oklahoma, according to the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The states counted a total of 46 dead. Thirty-six died in Oklahoma City.