<!DOCTYPE html PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD XHTML 1.0 Transitional//EN" "https://www.w3.org/TR/xhtml1/DTD/xhtml1-transitional.dtd">
<html prefix="og: http://ogp.me/ns#" xmlns="https://www.w3.org/1999/xhtml" xml:lang="en-gb" lang="en-gb" >
<head>
<!-- <script type="text/javascript" src="/templates/shaper_neo/js/video.js"></script> -->
		<link rel="stylesheet" href="/templates/shaper_neo/css/video.css">
		 
		 
       
		
	<base href="https://www.thenewamerican.com/reviews/opinion/item/26912-hurricane-harvey-relief-comes-with-an-extra-large-side-of-pork" />
	<meta http-equiv="content-type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8" />
	<meta name="keywords" content="Hurricane Harvey, relief" />
	<meta property="og:url" content="https://www.thenewamerican.com/reviews/opinion/item/26912-hurricane-harvey-relief-comes-with-an-extra-large-side-of-pork" />
	<meta property="og:title" content="Hurricane Harvey Relief Comes With an Extra-Large Side of Pork" />
	<meta property="og:type" content="article" />
	<meta property="og:image" content="https://www.thenewamerican.com/media/k2/items/cache/54a251cfcf6258a48738cd5187dd16b6_XL.jpg" />
	<meta name="image" content="https://www.thenewamerican.com/media/k2/items/cache/54a251cfcf6258a48738cd5187dd16b6_XL.jpg" />
	<meta property="og:description" content="It was just a matter of time before our ideologically flexible president started making deals across the aisle. The result is a $15 billion Harvey relief package that includes short-term debt ceiling and government funding increases. By Veronique de Rugy" />
	<meta name="viewport" content="width=device-width, initial-scale=1.0" />
	<title>Hurricane Harvey Relief Comes With an Extra-Large Side of Pork</title>
	<link href="/templates/shaper_neo/favicon.ico" rel="shortcut icon" type="image/vnd.microsoft.icon" />
	<link href="/media/k2/assets/css/magnific-popup.css?v2.7.1" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
	<link href="/media/k2/assets/css/k2.fonts.css?v2.7.1" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
	<link href="/templates/shaper_neo/css/k2.css?v2.7.1" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
	<link href="/media/modals/css/bootstrap.min.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
	<link href="/templates/system/css/system.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
	<link href="/templates/system/css/general.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
	<link href="/plugins/system/helix/css/media_queries.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
	<link href="/templates/shaper_neo/css/template.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
	<link href="/templates/shaper_neo/css/joomla.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
	<link href="/templates/shaper_neo/css/custom.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
	<link href="/templates/shaper_neo/css/modules.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
	<link href="/templates/shaper_neo/css/typography.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
	<link href="/templates/shaper_neo/css/css3.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
	<link href="/templates/shaper_neo/css/styles/style1.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
	<link href="/templates/shaper_neo/css/menu.css" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
	<link href="//fonts.googleapis.com/css?family=Yanone+Kaffeesatz:light" rel="stylesheet" type="text/css" />
	<style type="text/css">
.sp-wrap {width: 1080px;}
		#sp-leftcol {width: 0px}
		#sp-rightcol { width: 340px}
		#sp-maincol {width:740px}
#inner_content {width: 740px;}
		#sp-inset1 {width: 0px}#sp-inset2 { width: 0px}
h2,h3,h2.itemTitle,h3.catItemTitle,.itemListSubCategories h3,.subCategory h2,.itemCommentsCounter { font-family: 'Yanone Kaffeesatz', 'Helvetica', arial, serif; }
	</style>
	<script src="//ajax.googleapis.com/ajax/libs/jquery/1.8/jquery.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
	<script src="/plugins/system/jqueryeasy/jquerynoconflict.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
	<script src="/media/system/js/mootools-core.js?e9ac36b3958476d037df2abedcd196b3" type="text/javascript"></script>
	<script src="/media/system/js/core.js?e9ac36b3958476d037df2abedcd196b3" type="text/javascript"></script>
	<script src="/media/system/js/mootools-more.js?e9ac36b3958476d037df2abedcd196b3" type="text/javascript"></script>
	
	
	
	<script src="/media/k2/assets/js/jquery.magnific-popup.min.js?v2.7.1" type="text/javascript"></script>
	<script src="/media/k2/assets/js/k2.frontend.js?v2.7.1&amp;sitepath=/" type="text/javascript"></script>
	<script src="/media/modals/js/jquery.touchSwipe.min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
	<script src="/media/modals/js/jquery.colorbox-min.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
	<script src="/media/modals/js/script.min.js?v=8.2.2" type="text/javascript"></script>
	<script src="/plugins/system/helix/js/menu.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
	<script src="/plugins/system/helix/js/equalheight.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
	<script src="/plugins/system/helix/js/totop.js" type="text/javascript"></script>
	<script type="text/javascript">
;
var modals_class = 'modal_link'; var modals_defaults = { opacity: '0.8',maxWidth: '95%',maxHeight: '95%',current: '{current} / {total}',previous: 'previous',next: 'next',close: 'close',xhrError: 'This content failed to load.',imgError: 'This image failed to load.' };
function fixHeight_sp_bottom () {
					var equalizer_sp_bottom = new Equalizer(".sp-bottom1 > div > div,.sp-bottom2 > div > div,.sp-bottom4 > div > div").equalize("height");
				}
				window.addEvent ("load", function () {
					fixHeight_sp_bottom.delay (300);
				});
				window.addEvent ("resize", function () {
					fixHeight_sp_bottom();
				});
	</script>
	<link href="/component/obrss/rss" rel="alternate" type="application/rss+xml" title="rss" />
<link href="/templates/shaper_neo/images/favicon.ico" rel="shortcut icon" type="image/x-icon" />	<!--<meta property="og:url" content="https://www.thenewamerican.com/" />
<meta http-equiv="cache-control" content="max-age=0">
<meta http-equiv="cache-control" content="no-cache">
<meta http-equiv="expires" content="-1">
<meta http-equiv="expires" content="Tue, 01 Jan 1980 11:00:00 GMT">
<meta http-equiv="pragma" content="no-cache">-->
<meta property="fb:app_id" content="966242223397117" />

<script>
var disable_comments = false;
</script>

</head>

<body class="bg">
	
	<div id="top-bar" class="clearfix">
		<div class="sp-wrap">
			<div id="sp-top-menu" class="clearfix"><div class="sp-inner clearfix"><jot top-menu s style="sp_raw"></jot>


<script>
jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
    $("#videoads").delay(10000).fadeOut("slow");
   
});
</script>

<div class="custom"  >
	<!--/*
  *
  * Revive Adserver Asynchronous JS Tag
  * - Generated with Revive Adserver v3.2.4
  *
  */-->

<ins data-revive-zoneid="9" data-revive-id="5ba266ecba9126ec545d05b74521692f"></ins>
<script async src="//adserve.jbs.org/www/delivery/asyncjs.php"></script></div>
<jot top-menu e></jot></div></div>	 
			

	
             			
		</div>	
	</div>
	
	<div id="header" class="clearfix">
		<div class="sp-wrap clearfix">
		    
			<div id="sp-banner" class="clearfix"><div class="sp-inner clearfix"><jot banner s style="sp_raw"></jot>

<div class="customNletter"  >
	<a href="/top-daily-headlines" target="_blank"><img src="/../images/NewsLetter/TNA-NLsignup.gif" alt="Top Daily Headlines Sign up" /></a></div>
<jot banner e></jot></div></div>	
			<div id="sp-Donate" class="clearfix"><div class="sp-inner clearfix"><!-- SiteSearch Google CSE --><form method="get" action="https://www.thenewamerican.com/index.php" id="mod_googleSearch_cse"><input type="hidden" name="option" value="com_googlesearch_cse" /><input type="hidden" name="n" value="30" /><input type="hidden" name="view" value="googlesearchs" /><div class="mod_googleSearch_cse"><input type="hidden" name="cx" value="017005590850498995214:snxgxrq2gpc" /><input type="hidden" name="cof" value="FORID:11" /><input type="hidden" name="ie" value="ISO-8859-1" /><input type="text" name="q" class="inputbox" maxlength="255" value="" style="width: 150px;"/> <input type="submit" name="sa" value="Search" class="button" /></div></form><script type="text/javascript"><!--
(function() {var f = document.getElementById('mod_googleSearch_cse');if (f && f.q) {var q = f.q;var b = function(){if (q.value == '') {q.style.color = '#AAAAAA';q.style.background = '#FFFFFF url(https://cse.google.com/coop/intl/en/images/google_custom_search_watermark.gif) left no-repeat';}};	var f = function() {q.style.color = '#000000';q.style.background = '#ffffff';};q.onfocus = f;q.onblur = b;b();}})();
//-->
</script></div></div>				<a id="logo" style="width:400px;height:144px" href="/" title="The New American"></a>
<div class="clr"></div><div id="hornav" class="clearfix"><ul class="sp-menu level-0"><li class="menu-item first"><a href="/" class="menu-item first" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Home</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item parent"><a href="/usnews" class="menu-item parent" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">U.S.</span></span></a><div class="submenu"><div class="submenu-wrap"><div class="menu-tl"><div class="menu-tr"><div class="menu-tm"></div></div></div><div class="menu-l"><div class="menu-r"><div class="submenu-inner clearfix" style="width: 200px;"><div class="megacol col1 first" style="width: 200px;"><ul class="sp-menu level-1"><li class="menu-item first"><a href="/usnews/politics" class="menu-item first" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Politics</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="/usnews/immigration" class="menu-item" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Immigration</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="/usnews/constitution" class="menu-item" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Constitution</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="/usnews/congress" class="menu-item" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Congress</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="/usnews/crime" class="menu-item" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Crime</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="/usnews/health-care" class="menu-item" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Healthcare</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item last"><a href="/usnews/foreign-policy" class="menu-item last" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Foreign Policy</span></span></a></li></ul></div></div></div></div><div class="menu-bl"><div class="menu-br"><div class="menu-bm"></div></div></div></div></div></li><li class="menu-item parent"><a href="/world-news" class="menu-item parent" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">World</span></span></a><div class="submenu"><div class="submenu-wrap"><div class="menu-tl"><div class="menu-tr"><div class="menu-tm"></div></div></div><div class="menu-l"><div class="menu-r"><div class="submenu-inner clearfix" style="width: 200px;"><div class="megacol col1 first" style="width: 200px;"><ul class="sp-menu level-1"><li class="menu-item first"><a href="/world-news/europe" class="menu-item first" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Europe</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="/world-news/north-america" class="menu-item" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">North America</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="/world-news/asia" class="menu-item" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Asia</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="/world-news/africa" class="menu-item" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Africa</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="/world-news/australia" class="menu-item" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Australia</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item last"><a href="/world-news/south-america" class="menu-item last" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">South America</span></span></a></li></ul></div></div></div></div><div class="menu-bl"><div class="menu-br"><div class="menu-bm"></div></div></div></div></div></li><li class="menu-item parent"><a href="/economy" class="menu-item parent" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Economy</span></span></a><div class="submenu"><div class="submenu-wrap"><div class="menu-tl"><div class="menu-tr"><div class="menu-tm"></div></div></div><div class="menu-l"><div class="menu-r"><div class="submenu-inner clearfix" style="width: 200px;"><div class="megacol col1 first" style="width: 200px;"><ul class="sp-menu level-1"><li class="menu-item first"><a href="/economy/commentary" class="menu-item first" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Commentary</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="/economy/markets" class="menu-item" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Markets</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="/economy/sectors" class="menu-item" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Sectors</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item last"><a href="/economy/economics" class="menu-item last" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Economics</span></span></a></li></ul></div></div></div></div><div class="menu-bl"><div class="menu-br"><div class="menu-bm"></div></div></div></div></div></li><li class="menu-item parent"><a href="/tech" class="menu-item parent" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Sci/Tech</span></span></a><div class="submenu"><div class="submenu-wrap"><div class="menu-tl"><div class="menu-tr"><div class="menu-tm"></div></div></div><div class="menu-l"><div class="menu-r"><div class="submenu-inner clearfix" style="width: 200px;"><div class="megacol col1 first" style="width: 200px;"><ul class="sp-menu level-1"><li class="menu-item first"><a href="/tech/energy" class="menu-item first" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Energy</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="/tech/environment" class="menu-item" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Environment</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="/tech/computers" class="menu-item" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Computers</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item last"><a href="/tech/space" class="menu-item last" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Space</span></span></a></li></ul></div></div></div></div><div class="menu-bl"><div class="menu-br"><div class="menu-bm"></div></div></div></div></div></li><li class="menu-item parent"><a href="/culture" class="menu-item parent" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Culture</span></span></a><div class="submenu"><div class="submenu-wrap"><div class="menu-tl"><div class="menu-tr"><div class="menu-tm"></div></div></div><div class="menu-l"><div class="menu-r"><div class="submenu-inner clearfix" style="width: 200px;"><div class="megacol col1 first" style="width: 200px;"><ul class="sp-menu level-1"><li class="menu-item first"><a href="/culture/faith-and-morals" class="menu-item first" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Faith and Morals</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="/culture/family" class="menu-item" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Family</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="/culture/education" class="menu-item" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Education</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="/culture/biography" class="menu-item" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Biography</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item last"><a href="/culture/history" class="menu-item last" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">History</span></span></a></li></ul></div></div></div></div><div class="menu-bl"><div class="menu-br"><div class="menu-bm"></div></div></div></div></div></li><li class="menu-item active parent"><a href="/reviews" class="menu-item active parent" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Opinion</span></span></a><div class="submenu"><div class="submenu-wrap"><div class="menu-tl"><div class="menu-tr"><div class="menu-tm"></div></div></div><div class="menu-l"><div class="menu-r"><div class="submenu-inner clearfix" style="width: 200px;"><div class="megacol col1 first" style="width: 200px;"><ul class="sp-menu level-1"><li class="menu-item first"><a href="/reviews/movies" class="menu-item first" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Movies</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="/reviews/books" class="menu-item" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Books</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item active"><a href="/reviews/opinion" class="menu-item active" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Opinion</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item last"><a href="/reviews/american-principles" class="menu-item last" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">American Principles</span></span></a></li></ul></div></div></div></div><div class="menu-bl"><div class="menu-br"><div class="menu-bm"></div></div></div></div></div></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="/freedom-index" class="menu-item" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Freedom Index</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item parent"><a href="/print-magazine" class="menu-item parent" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Print Magazine </span></span></a><div class="submenu"><div class="submenu-wrap"><div class="menu-tl"><div class="menu-tr"><div class="menu-tm"></div></div></div><div class="menu-l"><div class="menu-r"><div class="submenu-inner clearfix" style="width: 200px;"><div class="megacol col1 first" style="width: 200px;"><ul class="sp-menu level-1"><li class="menu-item first"><a href="https://www.jbs.org/store/shoptna/tna-back-issues/tna-2018-back-issues/the-new-american-february-19-2018-2" class="menu-item first" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Current Issue</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="https://www.jbs.org/store/shoptna/subscribe" class="menu-item" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Subscribe</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item last"><a href="https://www.jbs.org/store/shoptna/1-year-gift-subscription-print" class="menu-item last" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Give a Gift Sub</span></span></a></li></ul></div></div></div></div><div class="menu-bl"><div class="menu-br"><div class="menu-bm"></div></div></div></div></div></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="https://www.jbs.org/store/shoptna/donation" class="menu-item" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Donate</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item"><a href="http://www.thenewamerican.com/tech/computers/itemlist/user/15475-tnavideo" class="menu-item" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">Videos</span></span></a></li><li class="menu-item last"><a href="http://tnamag.podbean.com" class="menu-item last" ><span class="menu"><span class="menu-title">PODCAST</span></span></a></li></ul></div><script type="text/javascript">
//<![CDATA[
	window.addEvent('domready',function(){
				var	limits = $(document.body);
		items_v = [], items_h = [];

		$$('div.submenu').each(function (el) {
			if (el.getParent().getParent().hasClass('level-0')) {
				items_v.push(el);
			} else {
				items_h.push(el);
			}
		});

		new SPMenu(items_v, {
			direction: 'LTR',
			bound: limits,
			fxOptions: {
				transition: Fx.Transitions.linear,
				duration: 300			},
			animation: 'slidefade',
			mode: 'vertical',
			offset:{x:5, y: 0}
		});

		new SPMenu(items_h, {
			direction: 'LTR',
			bound: limits,
			fxOptions: {
				transition: Fx.Transitions.linear,
				duration: 300			},
			animation: 'slidefade',
			mode: 'horizontal',
			offset: {x: -20, y: 5}
		});
	});
//]]>
</script>			 
		</div>	
	</div>	
	 
	<div class="main-bg clearfix">	
		<div class="sp-wrap clearfix">
		     
						                     
			<div class="clearfix">
				<div id="sp-maincol" class="clearfix">
		<div class="clr"></div>
		<div id="inner_content" class="clearfix"> <!--Component Area-->
							<div class="sp-content-inner clearfix">
					
				<div id="system-message-container">
	</div>

				

<script>
jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
    $("#videoads").delay(10000).fadeOut("slow");
   
});
</script>


<script>
jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
    $("#videoads").delay(10000).fadeOut("slow");
   
});
</script>
<!-- Start K2 Item Layout -->
<span id="startOfPageId26912"></span>

<div id="k2Container" class="itemView">

	<!-- Plugins: BeforeDisplay -->
	
	<!-- K2 Plugins: K2BeforeDisplay -->
	
	<div class="itemHeader">

				<!-- Date created -->
		<span class="itemDateCreated">
			Thursday, 14 September 2017		</span>
		
	  	  <!-- Item title -->
	  <h2 class="itemTitle">
			
	  	Hurricane Harvey Relief Comes With an Extra-Large Side of Pork
	  	
	  </h2>
	  
				<!-- Item Author -->
		<span class="itemAuthor">
			Written by&nbsp;
						<a rel="author" href="/reviews/opinion/itemlist/user/15478-veroniquederugy">Veronique de Rugy</a>
					</span>
		
  </div>
<br>
      		<!-- Social sharing -->
	<div class="itemSocialSharing">

				<!-- Twitter Button -->
		<div class="itemTwitterButton">
			<a href="https://twitter.com/share" class="twitter-share-button" data-count="horizontal">
				Tweet			</a>
			<script type="text/javascript" src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js"></script>
		</div>
		
    
				<!-- Facebook Button -->
		<div class="itemFacebookButton">
			<div id="fb-root"></div>
			<script type="text/javascript">
				(function(d, s, id) {
				  var js, fjs = d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0];
				  if (d.getElementById(id)) return;
				  js = d.createElement(s); js.id = id;
				  js.src = "//connect.facebook.net/en_US/all.js#xfbml=1";
				  fjs.parentNode.insertBefore(js, fjs);
				}(document, 'script', 'facebook-jssdk'));
			</script>
				<div class="fb-share-button" data-href="#" data-send="false" data-type="button"></div>	
			<div class="fb-like" data-send="false" data-width="200" data-show-faces="false" data-layout="button_count"></div>
		
		</div>
		
				<!-- Google +1 Button -->
		<!--<div class="itemGooglePlusOneButton">
			<g:plusone annotation="inline" width="120"></g:plusone>
			<script type="text/javascript">
			  (function() {
			  	window.___gcfg = {lang: 'en'}; // Define button default language here
			    var po = document.createElement('script'); po.type = 'text/javascript'; po.async = true;
			    po.src = 'https://apis.google.com/js/plusone.js';
			    var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(po, s);
			  })();
			</script>
		</div>-->
		  <!-- Plugins: AfterDisplayTitle -->
  
  <!-- K2 Plugins: K2AfterDisplayTitle -->
  
	  <div class="itemToolbar">
		<ul>
						<!-- Font Resizer -->
			<li>
				<span class="itemTextResizerTitle">font size</span>
				<a href="#" id="fontDecrease">
					<span>decrease font size</span>
					<img src="/components/com_k2/images/system/blank.gif" alt="decrease font size" />
				</a>
				<a href="#" id="fontIncrease">
					<span>increase font size</span>
					<img src="/components/com_k2/images/system/blank.gif" alt="increase font size" />
				</a>
			</li>
			
						<!-- Print Button -->
			<li>
				<a class="itemPrintLink" rel="nofollow" href="/reviews/opinion/item/26912-hurricane-harvey-relief-comes-with-an-extra-large-side-of-pork?tmpl=component&amp;print=1" onclick="window.open(this.href,'printWindow','width=900,height=600,location=no,menubar=no,resizable=yes,scrollbars=yes'); return false;">
					<span>Print</span>
				</a>
			</li>
			
						<!-- Email Button -->
			<li>
				<a class="itemEmailLink" rel="nofollow" href="/component/mailto/?tmpl=component&amp;template=shaper_neo&amp;link=8dbf4b7fd182b8f6be9847e1d6397053556d9cfa" onclick="window.open(this.href,'emailWindow','width=400,height=350,location=no,menubar=no,resizable=no,scrollbars=no'); return false;">
					<span>Email</span>
				</a>
			</li>
			
			
			
			
					</ul>
		<div class="clr"></div>
  </div>
	
	
  <div class="itemBody">

	  <!-- Plugins: BeforeDisplayContent -->
	  
	  <!-- K2 Plugins: K2BeforeDisplayContent -->
	  
	  	  <!-- Item Image -->
	  <div class="itemImageBlock">
		  <span class="itemImage">
		  	<a class="modal modal_link" rel="{handler: 'image'}" href="/media/k2/items/cache/54a251cfcf6258a48738cd5187dd16b6_XL.jpg" title="Click to preview image" data-modal-title="54A251Cfcf6258A48738Cd5187Dd16B6 Xl">
		  		<img src="/media/k2/items/cache/54a251cfcf6258a48738cd5187dd16b6_M.jpg" alt="Hurricane Harvey Relief Comes With an Extra-Large Side of Pork" style="width:380px; height:auto;" />
		  	</a>
		  </span>

		  
		  
		  <div class="clr"></div>
	  </div>
	  
	  	  	  	  <!-- Item fulltext -->
	  <div class="itemFullText">
	  	<p>It was just a matter of time before our ideologically flexible president started making deals across the aisle. The result is a $15 billion Harvey relief package that includes short-term debt ceiling and government funding increases, along with the promise of a messy end-of-year negotiation process.</p>
<p>President Donald Trump most likely equates making deals with getting things done. But all deals aren't created equal, and for anyone who believes in fiscal responsibility, this deal, which passed the House and the Senate in spite of many disgruntled members, was particularly lousy.</p>
<p>First, considering our $20 trillion debt, the only acceptable deal would have been one that included a long-term extension of the debt ceiling in exchange for placing fiscal constraints on spending growth. Instead, the president's deal extends fiscal uncertainty and debt ceiling drama to December.</p>
<!-- START: Modules Anywhere -->


<script>
jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
    $("#videoads").delay(10000).fadeOut("slow");
   
});
</script>

<div class="custom"  >
	
<!--/* Revive Adserver Javascript Tag v3.0.4 */-->

<!--/*
  * The backup image section of this tag has been generated for use on a
  * non-SSL page. If this tag is to be placed on an SSL page, change the
  *   'http://adserve.jbs.org/www/delivery/...'
  * to
  *   'https://adserve.jbs.org/www/delivery/...'
  *
  * This noscript section of this tag only shows image banners. There
  * is no width or height in these banners, so if you want these tags to
  * allocate space for the ad before it shows, you will need to add this
  * information to the <img> tag.
  *
  * If you do not want to deal with the intricities of the noscript
  * section, delete the tag (from <noscript>... to </noscript>). On
  * average, the noscript tag is called from less than 1% of internet
  * users.
  */-->

<script type='text/javascript'><!--//<![CDATA[
   var m3_u = (location.protocol=='https:'?'https://adserve.jbs.org/www/delivery/ajs.php':'http://adserve.jbs.org/www/delivery/ajs.php');
   var m3_r = Math.floor(Math.random()*99999999999);
   if (!document.MAX_used) document.MAX_used = ',';
   document.write ("<scr"+"ipt type='text/javascript' src='"+m3_u);
   document.write ("?zoneid=334");
   document.write ('&amp;cb=' + m3_r);
   if (document.MAX_used != ',') document.write ("&amp;exclude=" + document.MAX_used);
   document.write (document.charset ? '&amp;charset='+document.charset : (document.characterSet ? '&amp;charset='+document.characterSet : ''));
   document.write ("&amp;loc=" + escape(window.location));
   if (document.referrer) document.write ("&amp;referer=" + escape(document.referrer));
   if (document.context) document.write ("&context=" + escape(document.context));
   if (document.mmm_fo) document.write ("&amp;mmm_fo=1");
   document.write ("'><\/scr"+"ipt>");
//]]>--></script><noscript><a href='http://adserve.jbs.org/www/delivery/ck.php?n=ae06b907&amp;cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE' target='_blank'><img src='http://adserve.jbs.org/www/delivery/avw.php?zoneid=334&amp;cb=INSERT_RANDOM_NUMBER_HERE&amp;n=ae06b907' border='0' alt='' /></a></noscript>

</div>
<!-- END: Modules Anywhere -->
<p>The timing is also awful. The need to raise the debt ceiling will coincide once again with the fiscal crunch of budget negotiation. That will inevitably reinforce the belief that Republicans can't govern and will lead to more debt and spending. Many Republicans who want to demand budget caps in exchange for raising the debt ceiling will feel they can't press for them unless they're willing to risk a government shutdown. Others who want a smaller funding bill will go along with more spending to avoid a government default.</p>
<p>That is why Rep. Jim Jordan, R-Ohio, House Freedom Caucus member and former chairman, has already said the caucus will ask party leadership to extract the next debt ceiling debate from the broader budget negotiations. Caucus members will also demand a plan that provides unilateral authority for the debt ceiling to be raised only if Congress sticks to spending caps as a share of gross domestic product that will be reduced over time.</p>
<p>Second, Trump's deal removed any leverage conservative House members might have had to pass a Harvey relief bill that wasn't packed with non-Harvey-related pork. With the exception of $450 million going to the Small Business Administration, the original House bill had held the line nicely on preventing non-emergency items.</p>
<p>Sadly, the same cannot be said about the Senate amendment that complied with the president's commitment to Dems. That amendment then served as the final legislation's template. On the Harvey side, it included $7.4 billion for the Department of Housing and Urban Development's Community Development Block Grant program —&nbsp;which had been on the president's budget chopping block because its "allocation formula poorly targets funds to the areas of greatest need" and because "many aspects of the program have become outdated."</p>
<p>But because Harvey relief was linked to the continuing resolution, voting for money for Texas also meant, among other things, agreeing to extend the authority for the Eisenhower Memorial Commission, a project begun in 1999 and described by columnist George Will as a "saga of arrogance and celebrity worship." He added, "Sixteen years later, and eight years after the project's 2007 scheduled completion, scores of millions have been squandered, and there is no memorial and no immediate prospect of building one." It also meant a vote to extend the problematic Head Start base grants and allows for an increase in former presidents' pension.</p>
<p>It extended the National Flood Insurance Program until December, too. Simply put, lawmakers were asked to vote for relief funds along with an extension of a program that creates incentives that put people in harm's way. "The program is debt-ridden and dysfunctional," The Heritage Foundation's Diane Katz recently wrote in a study that detailed the NFIP's problems, adding, "A large proportion of the flood-risk maps are obsolete, and thus the premiums charged under the National Flood Insurance Program do not reflect actual risk. Because property owners do not bear the full cost of flood risk, they are more likely to locate in flood-prone areas and less likely to undertake preventive measures. The devastation of natural disasters is worsened as a result."</p>
<p>It's delusional to believe that lawmakers who will have to find ways to pass a budget, increase the debt ceiling and focus on tax reform, among other policy priorities, will have the ability to make the constructive reforms that are so badly needed.</p>
<p>I'll conclude with a warning: As bad as this deal was, I fear there will be even more lousy deals coming. For instance, it's rumored that Trump could make a deal with Dems to get rid of the debt ceiling altogether in exchange for tax reform. Just imagine how that could go wrong.</p>
<p>&nbsp;</p>
<p><em>Veronique de Rugy is a senior research fellow at the Mercatus Center at George Mason University. To find out more about Veronique de Rugy and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate webpage at <a href="http://www.creators.com" target="_blank">www.creators.com</a>.</em></p>
<p><em>COPYRIGHT 2017 CREATORS.COM</em></p> 	  </div>
	  	  
		<div class="clr"></div>

	  
		
	  <!-- Plugins: AfterDisplayContent -->
	  
	  <!-- K2 Plugins: K2AfterDisplayContent -->
	  	  
	<div id="policy">
	  	 
	<div style="font-weight:bold; font-style:italic;">Please review our <span id="privacy_button" style="color:blue; cursor:pointer;">Comment Policy</span> before posting a comment </div>

	 <div id="jbs_privacy_policy" style="font-style:italic; display:none">
		 <p>Thank you for joining the discussion at The New American. We value our readers and encourage their participation, but in order to ensure a positive experience for our readership, we have a few guidelines for commenting on articles. If your post does not follow our policy, it will be deleted.</p>
		 <p>No profanity, racial slurs, direct threats, or threatening language.</p>
		 <p>No product advertisements.</p>
		 <p>Please post comments in English.</p>
		 <p>Please keep your comments on topic with the article. If you wish to comment on another subject, you may search for a relevant article and join or start a discussion there.</p>
		 <p>Comments that we consider abusive, spammy, off-topic, or harassing will be removed.</p>
		 <p>If our filtering system detects that you may have violated our policy, your comment will be placed in a queue for moderation. It will then be either approved or deleted. Once your comment is approved, it will then be viewable on the discussion thread.</p>
		 <p>If you need to report a comment, please flag it and it will be reviewed. Thank you again for being a valued reader of The New American.</p>
		 <p>© 2015 The New American. All rights reserved</p>
	 </div>

		<script>
			jQuery( document ).ready(function() {
   				 jQuery('#privacy_button').click(function() {
    				jQuery('#jbs_privacy_policy').toggle(); 	
   					});
			});
		</script>
	  
	  
	  
	  </div>  
	 	  
	 <div id="disqus_thread"><script>if (!disable_comments){document.write('...');}else{document.write('<b>Comments have been disabled for this article.</b>');}</script></div>
    <script type="text/javascript">
	if (!disable_comments){
        /* * * CONFIGURATION VARIABLES: EDIT BEFORE PASTING INTO YOUR WEBPAGE * * */
        var disqus_shortname = 'thenewamericanmagazine'; // required: replace example with your forum shortname

        /* * * DON'T EDIT BELOW THIS LINE * * */
        (function() {
            var dsq = document.createElement('script'); dsq.type = 'text/javascript'; dsq.async = true;
            dsq.src = '//' + disqus_shortname + '.disqus.com/embed.js';
            (document.getElementsByTagName('head')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('body')[0]).appendChild(dsq);
        })();
		}
    </script>
    <noscript>Please enable JavaScript to view the <a href="http://disqus.com/?ref_noscript">comments powered by Disqus.</a></noscript>

		  <div class="clr"></div>
  </div>



		

		<div class="clr"></div>
	</div>
	
    <div class="itemLinks">

		
	  
	  
		<div class="clr"></div>
  </div>
  
  
  
	
  
	<div class="clr"></div>

  
  
    <!-- Item navigation -->
  <div class="itemNavigation">
  	<span class="itemNavigationTitle">More in this category:</span>

				<a class="itemPrevious" href="/reviews/opinion/item/26903-the-boston-globe-attacks-the-john-birch-society-with-falsities">
			&laquo; The Boston Globe Attacks The John Birch Society With Falsities		</a>
		
				<a class="itemNext" href="/reviews/opinion/item/26913-solar-panel-fraud">
			Solar Panel Fraud &raquo;
		</a>
		
  </div>
  
  <!-- Plugins: AfterDisplay -->
  
  <!-- K2 Plugins: K2AfterDisplay -->
  
  
 
		<div class="itemBackToTop">
		<a class="k2Anchor" href="/reviews/opinion/item/26912-hurricane-harvey-relief-comes-with-an-extra-large-side-of-pork#startOfPageId26912">
			back to top		</a>
		
	</div>
	               

	<div class="clr"></div>
</div>
<!-- End K2 Item Layout -->
<!-- JoomlaWorks "K2" (v2.7.1) | Learn more about K2 at http://getk2.org -->
			</div>
				<div id="sp-utility" class="sp-modCol1 clearfix"><div class="sp-inner clearfix"><div style="width:100%" class="sp-block "><div id="sp-utility1" class="mod-block sp-utility1  single">	<div class="module">	
		<div class="mod-wrapper clearfix">		
					<div class="mod-content clearfix">	
				<div class="mod-inner clearfix">
					


<script>
jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
    $("#videoads").delay(10000).fadeOut("slow");
   
});
</script>

<div class="custom"  >
	<div id="advert-category">
	<!-- START: Modules Anywhere -->

<div class="custom"  >
	<!--/*
  *
  * Revive Adserver Asynchronous JS Tag
  * - Generated with Revive Adserver v3.2.4
  *
  */-->

<ins data-revive-zoneid="320" data-revive-id="5ba266ecba9126ec545d05b74521692f"></ins>
<script async src="//adserve.jbs.org/www/delivery/asyncjs.php"></script></div>
<!-- END: Modules Anywhere --></div>
<script>

if(document.getElementById('itemListLeading')){
document.getElementById('itemListLeading').appendChild(document.getElementById('advert-category'));
}
else
{
var element = document.getElementById("advert-category");
element.parentNode.removeChild(element);
}

</script></div>
				</div>
			</div>
		</div>
	</div>
	<div class="gap"></div>
	</div></div></div></div>	
	</div>
		<div class="clr"></div>
	 <div id="sp-position-wxy" class="clearfix"><div class="sp-inner clearfix"><jot position-wxy s style="sp_raw"></jot>

<div class="custom"  >
	<!--/*
  *
  * Revive Adserver Asynchronous JS Tag
  * - Generated with Revive Adserver v3.2.4
  *
  */-->

<ins data-revive-zoneid="100" data-revive-id="5ba266ecba9126ec545d05b74521692f"></ins>
<script async src="//adserve.jbs.org/www/delivery/asyncjs.php"></script></div>
<jot position-wxy e></jot></div></div></div>
	<div id="sp-rightcol">
			<div id="sp-right" class="clearfix"><div class="sp-inner clearfix"><jot right s style="sp_xhtml"></jot>	<div class="module">	
		<div class="mod-wrapper clearfix">		
					<div class="mod-content clearfix">	
				<div class="mod-inner clearfix">
					

<div class="custom"  >
	<!--/*
  *
  * Revive Adserver Asynchronous JS Tag
  * - Generated with Revive Adserver v3.2.4
  *
  */-->

<ins data-revive-zoneid="232" data-revive-id="5ba266ecba9126ec545d05b74521692f"></ins>
<script async src="//adserve.jbs.org/www/delivery/asyncjs.php"></script></div>
				</div>
			</div>
		</div>
	</div>
	<div class="gap"></div>
		<div class="module">	
		<div class="mod-wrapper clearfix">		
					<div class="mod-content clearfix">	
				<div class="mod-inner clearfix">
					

<div class="custom"  >
	<!--/*
  *
  * Revive Adserver Asynchronous JS Tag
  * - Generated with Revive Adserver v3.2.4
  *
  */-->

<ins data-revive-zoneid="233" data-revive-id="5ba266ecba9126ec545d05b74521692f"></ins>
<script async src="//adserve.jbs.org/www/delivery/asyncjs.php"></script></div>
				</div>
			</div>
		</div>
	</div>
	<div class="gap"></div>
		<div class="module">	
		<div class="mod-wrapper clearfix">		
					<div class="mod-content clearfix">	
				<div class="mod-inner clearfix">
					

<div class="custom"  >
	<!--/*
  *
  * Revive Adserver Asynchronous JS Tag
  * - Generated with Revive Adserver v3.2.4
  *
  */-->

<ins data-revive-zoneid="234" data-revive-id="5ba266ecba9126ec545d05b74521692f"></ins>
<script async src="//adserve.jbs.org/www/delivery/asyncjs.php"></script></div>
				</div>
			</div>
		</div>
	</div>
	<div class="gap"></div>
		<div class="module">	
		<div class="mod-wrapper clearfix">		
					<div class="mod-content clearfix">	
				<div class="mod-inner clearfix">
					

<div class="custom"  >
	<!--/*
  *
  * Revive Adserver Asynchronous JS Tag
  * - Generated with Revive Adserver v3.2.4
  *
  */-->

<ins data-revive-zoneid="8" data-revive-id="5ba266ecba9126ec545d05b74521692f"></ins>
<script async src="//adserve.jbs.org/www/delivery/asyncjs.php"></script></div>
				</div>
			</div>
		</div>
	</div>
	<div class="gap"></div>
	<jot right e></jot></div></div><div id="sp-right-bottom" class="clearfix"><div class="sp-inner clearfix"><jot right-bottom s style="sp_xhtml"></jot>	<div class="module">	
		<div class="mod-wrapper clearfix">		
					<div class="mod-content clearfix">	
				<div class="mod-inner clearfix">
					


<script>
jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
    $("#videoads").delay(10000).fadeOut("slow");
   
});
</script>

<div class="custom"  >
	</div>
				</div>
			</div>
		</div>
	</div>
	<div class="gap"></div>
		<div class="module">	
		<div class="mod-wrapper clearfix">		
					<div class="mod-content clearfix">	
				<div class="mod-inner clearfix">
					

<div class="custom"  >
	<!--/*
  *
  * Revive Adserver Asynchronous JS Tag
  * - Generated with Revive Adserver v3.2.4
  *
  */-->

<ins data-revive-zoneid="277" data-revive-id="5ba266ecba9126ec545d05b74521692f"></ins>
<script async src="//adserve.jbs.org/www/delivery/asyncjs.php"></script></div>
				</div>
			</div>
		</div>
	</div>
	<div class="gap"></div>
	<jot right-bottom e></jot></div></div>	</div>
		             			  			  			   
			</div>
                      
		</div>
                
        
		<div id="sp-bottom" class="sp-modCol3 clearfix"><div class="sp-wrap clearfix"><div class="sp-inner clearfix"><div style="width:33.333%" class="sp-block  separator"><div id="sp-bottom1" class="mod-block sp-bottom1  first"><jot bottom1 s style="sp_flat"></jot>	<div class="module">	
		<div class="mod-wrapper-flat clearfix">		
						<h3 class="header">			
				<span>Affiliates</span> and Friends				</h3>
										<div class="mod-content clearfix">	
				<div class="mod-inner clearfix">
					


<script>
jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
    $("#videoads").delay(10000).fadeOut("slow");
   
});
</script>

<div class="custom"  >
	<ul>
<li><a href="http://www.jbs.org" target="_blank">The John Birch Society</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.freedomproject.com" target="_blank">FreedomProject Media</a></li>
<li><a href="https://www.fpeusa.org/" target="_blank">FreedomProject Academy</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.americanopinionfoundation.org/" target="_blank">American Opinion Foundation</a></li>
<li><a href="http://www.characterfirst.com" target="_blank">Character First</a></li>
</ul></div>
				</div>
			</div>
		</div>
	</div>
	<jot bottom1 e></jot></div></div><div style="width:33.333%" class="sp-block  separator"><div id="sp-bottom2" class="mod-block sp-bottom2 "><jot bottom2 s style="sp_flat"></jot>	<div class="module">	
		<div class="mod-wrapper-flat clearfix">		
						<h3 class="header">			
				<span>Social</span> Media				</h3>
										<div class="mod-content clearfix">	
				<div class="mod-inner clearfix">
					


<script>
jQuery(document).ready(function($) {
    $("#videoads").delay(10000).fadeOut("slow");
   
});
</script>

<div class="custom"  >
	<div class="social"><a class="twitter" href="https://twitter.com/#!/NewAmericanMag" target="_blank">Twitter</a> <a class="facebook" href="http://www.facebook.com/TheNewAmerican" target="_blank">Facebook</a> <a class="youtube" href="https://www.youtube.com/user/TheNewAmericanVideo" target="_blank">YouTube</a> <!--<a class="flickr" href="http://www.flickr.com" target="_blank">flickr</a>--> <a class="rss" href="/component/obrss/rss" target="_blank">RSS-Feed</a></div></div>
				</div>
			</div>
		</div>
	</div>
	<jot bottom2 e></jot></div></div><div style="width:33.333%" class="sp-block "><div id="sp-bottom4" class="mod-block sp-bottom4  last"><jot bottom4 s style="sp_flat"></jot>	<div class="module">	
		<div class="mod-wrapper-flat clearfix">		
						<h3 class="header">			
				<span>About</span> TNA				</h3>
										<div class="mod-content clearfix">	
				<div class="mod-inner clearfix">
					<ul class="nav menu">
<li class="item-668"><a href="/about" >About</a></li><li class="item-669"><a href="/staff" >Staff</a></li><li class="item-670"><a href="/contributors" >Contributors</a></li><li class="item-671"><a href="https://www.jbs.org/shop-tna" >Shop</a></li><li class="item-673"><a href="http://www.jbs.org/join-jbs/join-jbs" >Get Involved</a></li><li class="item-675"><a href="/advertise" >Advertise</a></li><li class="item-676"><a href="/contact-us" >Contact Us</a></li></ul>
				</div>
			</div>
		</div>
	</div>
	<jot bottom4 e></jot></div></div></div></div></div>		
		<div id="sp-footer" class="clearfix">
			<div class="sp-wrap">
				<div class="sp-inner">
					<div id="powered-by" class="helix-logo helix-logo-light-small">
	<a target="_blank" title="Helix Framework" href="http://helix.joomshaper.com">Helix Framework</a>
</div> 
						
					<div class="cp">
					Copyright © 2017 The New American
						
					</div>
						<a id="topofpage" href="#" rel="nofollow">Scroll to Top</a>
						
									</div>
			</div>
		</div>
	</div>
	
	<!--Google Universal-->
	<script>
	(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){i['GoogleAnalyticsObject']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){
	(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),
	m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)
	})(window,document,'script','//www.google-analytics.com/analytics.js','ga');
	ga('create', 'UA-3745385-6', 'auto');
	ga('send', 'pageview');
	</script>
	<!--End Google Universal-->

	
	
		
		
	
	
	<script type="text/javascript">
    /* * * CONFIGURATION VARIABLES: EDIT BEFORE PASTING INTO YOUR WEBPAGE * * */
    var disqus_shortname = 'thenewamericanmagazine'; // required: replace example with your forum shortname

    /* * * DON'T EDIT BELOW THIS LINE * * */
    (function () {
        var s = document.createElement('script'); s.async = true;
        s.type = 'text/javascript';
        s.src = '//' + disqus_shortname + '.disqus.com/count.js';
        (document.getElementsByTagName('HEAD')[0] || document.getElementsByTagName('BODY')[0]).appendChild(s);
    }());
    </script>
	
	<div id="jon_hidden" style="display:none">
			</div>
	
</body>
</html>