It's similar to viewing insurance as shared risk. When a disaster strikes in one area of the country the Federal government helps, so the affected area can recover more quickly. Like government spending in general during bad times, it keeps the economic situation from becoming worse and affecting the country overall.
But that is not the Compassionate Conservatism that we benefit from today. A spokesperson for House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA) said that if there is any damage caused by Hurricane Irene requiring federal disaster funding, the money would have to be balanced out by spending cuts elsewhere in government.
"We aren't going to speculate on damage before it happens, period," his spokesperson Laena Fallon told TalkingPointsMemo. "But, as you know, Eric has consistently said that additional funds for federal disaster relief ought to be offset with spending cuts."
This simply sounds like exploiting an opportunity to plunge the economy into further trouble while counting down to the 2012 election.
Read more: http://www.businessinsider.com/eric-cantor-hurricane-disaster-relief-will-have-to-be-offset-by-spending-cuts-2011-8#ixzz1WK497yPO