Firefighters and rescue workers continued to work tirelessly on Tuesday looking for survivors in Joplin, Missouri, following the deadly tornado on Sunday and found the storm had left a “barren, smoky wasteland” in its path.
Rescue workers worked through more storms in an effort to find potential survivors, even as the death toll rose to at least 119. Officials said that another 1,000 persons have been unaccounted for.
Meanwhile, President Obama pledged full support to the state Monday, telling survivors, “We’re here with you. We’re going to stay by you.”
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-VA), however, said that before Congress approved federal funds for disaster relief, it had to offset the spending with cuts to other programs. The Washington Times reports:
House Majority Leader Eric Cantor said Monday that if Congress passes an emergency spending bill to help Missouri’s tornado victims, the extra money will have to be cut from somewhere else.
“If there is support for a supplemental, it would be accompanied by support for having pay-fors to that supplemental,” Mr. Cantor, Virginia Republican, told reporters at the Capitol. The term “pay-fors” is used by lawmakers to signal cuts or tax increases used to pay for new spending.
